


Vengeance

by Anchanted_One



Series: The Knight's Song [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Deal With It, Depression, Despair, Don’t copy to another site, Fighting the Dark Side, Gen, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2019-10-12 01:44:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17458232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anchanted_One/pseuds/Anchanted_One
Summary: It has been 6 years since the Treaty of Coruscant was signed; a treaty where the Republic was forced to concede ignominious defeat to the Sith Empire. The Great War left the Jedi Order devastated, its numbers thinned. The Jedi relocated to their birthplace Tython, in the Deep Core, and established a new Academy there. Here, they worked to rebuild their numbers, and defend the Galaxy from the inevitable resumption of hostilities.Promising young Jedi Student Arro Silver arrives on Tython for the trials to become a full-fledged Jedi Knight. Under ordinary circumstances he would be considered too young for the trials, but these aren't ordinary times.





	1. The Learner's Oath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Trials on Tython are meant to judge whether a student is ready to become a full Jedi. But sometimes, events force a different kind of trial-- teach a different lesson-- than what any teacher would dream of.

**The Learner’s Oath**

Arro scanned the Padawan Training grounds. Despite the exertion, he wasn’t even breathing hard. There were thousands of the creatures called “Flesh Raiders” on the grounds. Not the sort of armed assault that the local garrison was prepared to respond to. Secrecy was the biggest defense of Tython, after all.

Add to that, these creatures; these Flesh Raiders- thought to have been primitive, yet wielding those blasters with loving familiarity. Few shots hit their mark now; their targets were mostly Jedi, after all.

But the initial attack had met some success. Many had been injured; even some Knights. Some lay dead; Padawans and non-Sensitive guards.

And the brutality of the invaders had intimidated enough Padawans to surrender, once they knew it was an option. The initial captures had been frightened youngsters who had dropped their training weapons in fear. After, they had surrendered quickly rather than risk meeting their charges.

Wisely, in Arro’s opinion. Like him, they weren’t Jedi yet. They hadn’t expected to fight for real, for some time. Not now, since the uneasy peace granted by the Treaty of Coruscant had come into effect.

_ Like me… yet not _

Knight Weller’s voice echoed in his head.

_ You have been trained for fighting in the front lines. I know you can do it. Go!  _ He had said.

And so he had gone forth. And indeed, he’d had little trouble facing his foes. Their ferocity hadn’t impressed him.  _ His  _ Ferocity, on the other Hand, had cut through their teams with ease.

Yes, they were teams. They weren’t organized in any uniform manner, but he was certain that there was order to their irregularity. There was a purpose at work here.

Now if the Jedi could figure out  _ what  _ that purpose was, then maybe they could speak to these beings.

Until then, he had work to do.

_ Dodge. Parry. Riposte. Stab. Turn left. Dash forward, redirecting the incoming fire. Cut through the Brutes before they had a chance to scatter. _

_ A hard hitting Djem-so rush. A balanced Niman aggressive defense. _

The Dance came easily. He had always loved the Dance; the more he moved, the deeper the Force’s embrace. The more alive he felt, the more elated! And yet... death followed in his wake. Another team of Raiders, seven strong, roared as they turned to overwhelm him. Four opened fire while three reached for primitive axes and clubs. Well, these weapons are primitive enough, he thought to himself. And yet they carried blasters.

The four firing at him were providing cover for their charging brethren, and ceased when they engaged him. Arro met them with his preferred Niman, the sixth of the Lightsaber Forms. It’s blending of the other forms had given it a near perfect balance of defense and offense yet was unsuited to be used exclusively for either role. An attacking Jedi was better served using one of the more aggressive forms, and nothing could beat the Soresu for sheer defensive capability. But for Arro, the Form allowed him to engage his opponents and suddenly add more energy to offense or defense when needed.

In this case, he was able to meet the charge of the far larger Flesh Raiders without relying purely on defense.

He used the Raiders’ own momentum to propel him out of their way. Then, as their charge carried them past him,  _ he  _ charged the ones with the blasters. Though the tactic of closing in on gunners was a basic one, he wanted to judge the primitives’ response. He was fairly impressed. His intended target readied to fight in close combat, smoothly reaching for its hunting knife as it aimed the blaster at his chest. Two of the others spread out and inched forward, reaching for their heavier axes so that they could flank him once he engaged his target. The fourth one backed away, opening fire once more. Arro noted that it was also moving to flank him.

Yes, these things were decidedly  _ too  _ intelligent. That the Jedi had dismissed the threat they had posed was an astounding error.

Without warning, Arro accelerated, bringing him in range much sooner than the brute had anticipated. He slashed the monster’s throat with just the tip of the vibroblade, not daring to make a heavier cut as he would have with a lightsaber; the saber would have cut the neck clean off, but the training blade could get caught if lodged in the bone.

With his first foe down, Arro braced as the two flanking raiders closed in. He parried the first few swings, then dived forward, slashing at both their feet. As both the brutes staggered, he went high, aiming a single slash that severed the spines of first one, then the other. By this time the other three attackers had closed in on him again. The last one had dropped his blaster and was also moving in with a heavy stone tipped axe.

They all rushed in together, snarling and spitting. Their teamwork wasn’t nearly so polished in a melee. It was a simple task to weave his way in, around, and out of their midst; the Raiders would take big chunks out of each other while trying to kill him. And he added to their wounds with precise strikes. As they went down, more of their kin came to reinforce them, having heard their guttural roars.

They also charged. They also fell.

Within ten minutes, dozens of the attackers lay dead before him.

Their dark blood covered the ground, mixed with water in the stream…

A high-pitched beeping cut through his thoughts. He withdrew to the defensive walls and accepted the call coming through on his Holocom. It was Knight Weller.

“You’re unharmed, good,” he gasped. “Flesh Raiders shot me in the Leg as I rescued some Padawans. Don’t know where these things got blasters, but they know how to use them. Been evacuated to a med-center but the fighting isn’t over.”

He paused for breath, and Arro thought he knew what was coming. He tried to preempt the wounded watchman; to see if someone else could see to the task that Knight Weller seemed to have for him.

“I was expecting reinforcements by now,” he said, looking up the road.

“Some are already here but Flesh Raiders keep pouring in, which is why I’m calling. Another Padawan found a cave tunnel that they use to enter this valley. I need you at that tunnel, making sure that the Flesh Raiders don’t get any more reinforcements!”

“I’ll find this tunnel and seal it,” Arro promised, hiding his trepidation.

“Find the tunnel along the Mountain range. May the Force be With You.”

** 

Finding the tunnel was easy. The Raiders were pouring out of it like angry wasps from a disturbed hive. They fell quickly to his blade. The first Raider charged at  Despite their numbers, Arro had cut a path through to the tunnel in no time at all.

As he stepped in cautiously, he wondered where the Padawan who had found the tunnel was; he had hoped to have some company through this part of the mission. He found his answer right away.

He was being held by a group of the warriors, thankfully still alive.

Arro recognized the young Bith Padawan who had initially alerted Weller to the attack.  _ Unaw Aharo, I think  _ .

As he moved closer, slowly so as to not startle the captors, Arro found another among the crowd who was out of place. A human with dark hair pushed through the Raiders and walked to the front, the Raiders stepping aside for him.

“Stop struggling Padawan,” he said in a low growl. His smile was dark. “Your life was over the moment you set foot here.”

Arro started for a second, the words echoing in his head. Familiar, yet not. He had heard such words before… Where had he heard such words before? When? They teased his memory briefly before he dismissed them, recognizing them as truly unimportant: The young Bith boy was in danger.

“You are a Jedi! Why would you kill me?” Aharo whispered.

“Because the Order must evolve- and you are weak.” The human responded.

“Step away from him!” Arro ordered firmly, stepping forward, reaching out through the Force. He probed the human, and sensed his cold contempt. He barely heard the other Padawan exclaim that though he looked like a Jedi, something was wrong.

“Hmmm. You are dangerous. You killed my soldiers.” It was not a question.

“He commands these Flesh Raiders,” the Bith said. “He led the attack on the Training Grounds!”

“Not attacking, cleansing,” the other replied, menace entering his voice. “And we have only begun!”

The man raised a Lightsaber with a blue blade, and declared “The Old Order is dead! Long live the new Order!” as he attacked. His gang of Flesh Raiders followed, bellowing their war cries.

_ Here we go again _ , Arro sighed, easily avoiding the human’s clumsy swings, as he prepared for battle yet again.

** 

There was, Arro reflected, something to be said about the many tales of the valorous glory of battle.

And that something was, “Bleh”.

The human lay dead before him, along with his small force of Flesh Raiders. The battle had been surprisingly short. The human seemed shocked at his easy defeat, as his eyes went dead. The Raiders had barely flinched at his fall. They had charged over his dying body, only to fall in their turn.

No glory here, only blood. But he felt his heart lighten when he realized that he had saved the alien Padawan. The boy had tried to help, but a Raider had hit his side hard with the butt of his primitive spear, knocking him down. He was stunned and hurt, but nothing life-threatening.

_ At least I saved him  _ , Arro thought. His senses briefly alerted him to an approaching presence, but one that he sensed wasn’t hostile to him.

An ageing human appeared at the entrance, gasping from his dash up the mountain. He surveyed the dead before him, and turned a concerned gaze at the two young boys.

“What happened here? Are you two alright?”

“This Jedi attacked us, Master Orgus!” the Bith said shakily. “He was sick, confused.”

The Master called Orgus nodded in relief as he knelt to examine the Jedi who Arro had killed.

_ Orgus… as in Orgus Din? One of the Heroes of Karideph  _ ? A legend had appeared before Arro, without warning.

“Well thank the Force that you’re both safe! I’m surprised that the two of you managed to defeat this many by yourselves; it must have been quite some battle!”

“Not the two of us, Master,” the alien said. “This young one killed them all, and all by himself!”

“So you held off all these attackers by yourself with only a practice saber? Impressive indeed! What is your name, boy?”

Arro bowed slightly “My name is Arro, Master Orgus. And I followed my instincts, that’s all”, he managed, still a little stunned from his sudden introduction to a legend.

“They seem to have served you well,” Orgus smiled. “Arro, eh? Yes, some of the Masters were talking about a highly talented duelist coming for his trials. I would very much like to see what you’re made of, later.” Still smiling, he quickly surveyed the tunnel. He paused to pick up the fallen lightsaber, frowned at the body of the man who had been holding it. “This man is no Jedi, at least not one of ours. I’d call him Sith, but the Empire doesn’t know where Tython is. And this lightsaber has something familiar about it. Strange…”

He took a scan of the man’s face, and samples of his DNA for testing, then stood up.

“For now we need to prevent any more Flesh Raiders coming through here.” He said. He ushered the two boys out of the cave. He raised his hand, a look of intense concentration on his face.

“That should hold them back for now,” he said, satisfied.

Arro braced for any secondary cave-ins or avalanches triggered by the cave’s collapse. None came. At all. It was so… ordered! Such impressive control!

“What you did… How did you close the cave without triggering an avalanche? I want to learn how to do that!” Arro exclaimed.

“All in good time,” Orgus responded.

“I’m injured, Master Orgus,” Unaw Aharo said. “Are the training grounds safe for travel?”

“Not yet, I’ll get you to a med-center.” He turned to Arro. “You seem alright to travel alone. Make your way to the Jedi Temple. Rest a while if you need it. The Council will want to speak to you about this Dark Jedi and the Flesh Raider attack.”

A powerful wave of relief washed over Arro. Perhaps his role in this battle was done, at last. But he remembered the prisoners, the other Padawans, who might need any help. Even his.

“Maybe I can help-” he began but Orgus seemed to sense that initial reluctance. “We have Jedi Knights rooting out the last of the attackers,” Orgus reassured him, then added: “They will also keep your fellow learners safe. I promise.”

Reassured, Arro nodded. “I’ve only just arrived on Tython, can you tell me the way to the Temple?”

“Follow the path leading out of this valley, you’ll find the Temple through the Mountain pass. See you there.”

Arro set off down the mountain, setting a brisk pace as he began his more direct descent to the base. The Jedi Temple. He had been looking forward to this for a long time. Perhaps his first visit would help wash away the bitter taste in his mouth following the carnage.

**

The Temple was a wonder to behold. As he caught his first glimpse of the magnificent building, the setting rays of the sun bounced off the walls. It radiated a calm, a serenity, even at this distance. As he neared, the details became clearer. He saw more learners training near the Temple, before the watchful eyes of their teachers. Evidently, lessons had been moved to this safer location. Their collective emotion reached him through the Force,  in a gentle flow of colours and scents. Despite the recent battle, there was definitely a sense of tranquility here.

He descended into the valley, nodding to some, smiling at others. A pretty little feline, probably native to Tython and comfortable around the people, brushed around his ankles, purring when he ran his fingers through its silky fur, then darted off.

He was already feeling a little better. Maybe he could forget…  _ no, evidently not  _ . The memories rushed back despite his attempts to push them back.

Sighing as his mood plummeted again, he entered the Temple.

A caretaker led him to the dormitories, and showed him his assigned room. It was a simple room for one occupant. And it seemed large enough to accommodate a Wookie, so he felt confident that there was enough space. It was functional: equipped with a fresher, a worktable, a desk, some chairs, and a bed. Some fresh robes and underclothes had also been placed in the locker, probably tailored to his size.

It took a long shower to wash off the blood and dirt. As he dressed, he considered attempting to meditate, to try and center himself here, before the Council called for him. But he didn’t know if he could. He hadn’t had to recover from the rigours of a real battle before. He hadn’t even been taught how.

Maybe practicing the Forms in the Grounds...

A comm on the desk called his attention. The caller was an attractive, middle aged woman with dark hair tied into several braids.

“Padawan, I’m Satele Shan, Leader of the Jedi Council,” she identified herself. “I’d like to speak privately with you before we meet with the others.”

“Yes, Master, as you wish,” Arro responded.

“This isn’t a discussion for a comm channel. Come to my meditation room in the temple, we’ll talk there.”

**

Arro stepped into the well lit meditation chamber. It seemed to also function as the Drawing Room for the more private quarters whose doors were closed on the other side. The Master, Satele Shan, was sitting on a nearby sofa, two cups of herbal tea before her. With a gesture, she closed the door behind Arro. The air circulators were filling the air with the scent that reminded him of rivers and streams. A chime sounded, indicating that Satele had activated the soundproofing, ensuring that they could speak freely.

She ushered him to a seat nearby, and placed a cup in his hands.

“Welcome Padawan. The Temple is already buzzing with accounts of your heroism in the training grounds. Your efficiency, your speed? It saved a lot of lives. Knight Weller is of the opinion that veteran Knights couldn’t have responded as you did.”

Arro smiled, bowed his head. “Thank you Master Satele.”

“Master Orgus told me you battled many Flesh Raiders… and a foe with a lightsaber. It must have been a disturbing confrontation. Are you alright?”

“I wasn’t hurt,” he said slowly. “He may have been armed with a Jedi weapon, but… by himself, he posed no threat; his attacks- Both Saber and Force- were clumsy. The Raiders… well they relied on their strength and their fierce charges, and I was used to it by then.”

Satele heard the words he couldn’t bring himself to speak. She heard his disquiet about all that death.

“Taking a life affects the living Force, and the one who does the killing. That is why Jedi try to enter battle calmly, with reason. Emotion clouds the mind, and leads to the Dark Side.”

When Arro remained silent, she gently pressed, “Master Orgus said that he sensed severe battle fatigue in you. You hid it well, but he felt enough to be concerned about your state of mind. That is why I asked you to meet me, to try to help you come to terms with what you’ve just experienced...”

Arro took a deep breath, and began hesitantly. “I can still hear them screaming when I struck them. I can still feel all that blood…”

he began to speak faster-

“Every one that I cut down, I felt it. Every attack that connected-- I felt it. When their bones crushed-- I felt their flesh give way-- the shock of resistance. Heard them snap and crumble-- Heard their screams…”

Half-remembered, but exaggerated sensations began to resurface within him. Took shape. Gained a chorus of lamenting voices. Grew many sets of eyes, staring accusingly.

_ A river of blood. Screaming in the winds. The strong stench of death. The Force awash in pain, anger, rage, fear, terror, hate, bloodlust… demanding... Why? Why? Why did we suffer and die? What did all this accomplish? _

And then he was sobbing. He was incoherent. He was almost screaming.

“This isn’t what I wanted! I thought I wanted to be a Jedi Knight! To fight the darkness! But all this… this is hell! I can’t do this again! Once was too much! How do I do it again and again? How do  _ you  _ do it? How do the Jedi do it? Or the Soldiers of the Republic!

“The pain, the death… the Anger, the Hate... the cold… so very cold…

“I enjoy duels, the contests! I love the Lightsaber Forms, they were a dance that made me feel more at peace, more one with the Force. They were so pure, almost holy! But to use them like this! Master, I can’t use them like this! I just can’t! And I can’t fight! Never again!”

The hour passed. His sobbing eased. He found himself hunched over, in the warm, comforting embrace of Master Satele. Should he have felt a little self-conscious? Probably, but he was too tired to feel anything but the heaviness of exhaustion.

Master Satele continued to hold him in silence until he pulled away, wiping away the last of his tears. Her face was kindly, motherly.

She seemed unable to speak. From her expression, he thought that perhaps she knew  _ what  _ she had to say. But she couldn’t find the words.

“I understand, Padawan,” she said. “I have seen hundreds of raw recruits- Jedi and soldiers- pressed into service, sent to the front lines long before they were ready. I remember their screams afterwards. Many of the men and women who survived the brutal warfare… these heroes... they were never the same afterwards. Rehabilitation didn’t always work. They were broken, haunted by their experiences.”

Arro nodded, a new understanding of the horrors of war permeating his being. He suddenly felt ashamed. Others had suffered far worse than he had, and struggled on nonetheless. Others had…

“That’s not what I meant!” Satele said sharply. “Never tell yourself you have no right to your suffering, never compare traumas’”

Arro looked up again.

“I did not mean to tell you to that at all. I only meant to let you know, that you are not alone in the way you suffer. We all felt it. We all agonized over how horrifying it was.” Her eyes went out of focus, seeing events and places far away and years ago, as she fell silent again.

As he sat watching, he noticed that he could sense something of what Satele was feeling. He could sense her own wounds, wounds that still were only in the process of healing, wounds to the heart that she had taken through countless battles, treacheries and massacres. She had seen the destruction of the Temple on Coruscant after all. Yes, he could sense that pain. She understood what the day had cost him. But there was also something deeper, an armour more solid than durasteel, quiet and unyielding. The harder he focused, all the more clearer it seemed. He could sense a powerful sense of love, of duty, for the galaxy. A love that allowed her to stand tall, and protect those who couldn’t protect themselves, and not give in to despair.

He returned his thoughts to his own battle. But now he wasn’t thinking of those he had killed. He thought of those who he had saved.

The dozens of Padawans he had freed as they were being shepherded to a makeshift prison. The combatants who had been overrun. The injured Padawans whom he’d found for Master Relnex. The wounded young children who seemed to be in urgent need of medical attention. Unaw Aharo, the brave young Padawan who had discovered the route the Raiders were using before they captured him. Who had attempted to aid Arro despite his obvious fear.

Protecting those who couldn’t help themselves. Serving, as a protector, defending with his last breath. Even if he died alone, without anyone ever knowing his name. He could do that… yes he could.

Startled, Master Satele looked up, realizing that he had sensed something of what she wanted to tell him but hadn’t been able to bring herself to. She cursed in mild embarrassment. Suddenly, she withdrew behind the cool but compassionate mantle of the Jedi Master, emanating waves of serene tranquility.

“Well that didn’t go as planned,” she said wryly. “We do have trained counselors, and I am not one of them. And few are on Tython. As you can imagine, we weren’t expecting something like this here on Tython.”

“But I understand now, Master. Even if the end result is the same, remembering those I fight for rather than those I kill… it helps. I think I can do that.”

“Good, good. Thank you, Padawan, I know that this is a lot to ask for. And even harder to give. This will not be the last time the rigours of battle overwhelm you. The peace cannot last forever, I’m afraid, already the cracks appear. And when it ends, when the war resumes, entire planets will be covered in blood and dust. Your resolve will be tested after every battlefield, even in victory, but especially in defeat.”

She paused, marshaling her thoughts. She slowly leaned forward, and spoke again “Arro, I have to confess, though I am concerned about the well-being of each and every Jedi under my care, there was a reason why I thought it necessary to help you out, myself.”

Arro started, only now realizing that the Grand Master of the Jedi Order probably didn’t have time to soothe every last Padawan who had been affected by the fighting, much less devote an hour to comfort a lone Padawan in need to express his tears.

When the Grandmaster spoke again, it seemed like another spoke through her- a terrible, glorious, limitless other.

“The Force teases us with glimpses of the future on occasion, and I see darkness ahead. An era of chaos and strife, a season of storms unending. People will prey on the ones they should have called brother, as war erupts around them. The very Galaxy will stand on the brink of collapse. And, I fear,  _ you  _ will be one who can face that season, for I see you as a storm of your own, ready to face the other. You are a convergence in the Force, and your actions will shake the Galaxy.”

By the time she had reached the end of her intonation, Arro had gone so pale he almost looked human. His mind’s eye conjured the vivid impression of a fly trying to change the course of a hurricane.

“So the fate of the Galaxy rests on  _ my  _ shoulders? Well… I think I need a few million more shoulders,” he sighed.

The Grand Master said “I, for one, am reassured. Because I know you can do it. Besides, the Force can make up for that lack of shoulders, and then some. And don’t worry too much about the future. Even if it is coming, it isn’t here yet. And living in fear will be almost as bad as living in ignorance; which is definitely not bliss, by the way. Know what is coming, but keep your mind here, in the now”

“It pains me terribly to burden you with this vision. But the sooner you know, the more time you will have, to learn and grow. When the time comes, know that you will be strong enough to face your destiny, and that you will not have to face it alone. The Force will be with you, Always. But so too, will many allies. Aside from the debriefing tomorrow, you are granted the rest of the week off. Recover. Explore. And maybe, try to enjoy yourself. Your training as Padawan will commence next week.”

Still numb, Arro nodded.

Numb, but recovering. The Master was right. Whatever would come, would come. Knowing something about it could help him prepare, but otherwise he could safely ignore the tomorrow until it arrived.

“Yes, Master Satele.” Then he vowed, “If a storm is what the Force needs of me, then a storm is what I will become. I dedicate my life to meeting this darkness, and resisting it as long as I can.”

“I am pleased to hear it. Before you go, I want you to take this,” she said, giving him a nondescript apprentice Lightsaber. “When you finish the trials you will build your own Lightsaber. But until you do, may this saber protect you from the dangers you might encounter.”

It was only when he reached his room that he realized that the tea had been forgotten entirely after that first sip. Shame, that. He had liked the flavour.

  
  
****


	2. Shatterpoints

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like any Jedi, Arro trains daily to see the world around him through the Force. During his meditations, he discovers an obscure, tricky talent that he possesses.

**2 ATC**

"Very good, little one!" Master WenSuul approved as her twelve year old learner Arro nimbly dodged the Arenan lemons and other fruits darting through the air. She was moving them all using the Force, in different directions and speeds, Arro's task being to avoid them blindfolded.

"The Force allows us the preternatural extra insight into our surrounding. This isn't something exclusive to Jedi and Sith; any living organism can feel the Force. But without training one would require blind luck to respond in time. But as one who trains to wield the Force, you will naturally sense the world around you through it. You will sense the world, the people, the animals- all through a sense that surpasses the ones of your body. The eyes can be distracted. The ears inundated. But the clarity granted by the Force is absolute."

Arro patiently heard her go over this monologue, though he had heard all this before. He had mastered this entire exercise long ago, in his first days as a student. But he had never complained, never questioned why he had to hear this lecture every day.

Well, the boy loved the activity, that much wasn't uncommon amongst students. However, it was the attention he paid to his master's words- everyday almost the same, everyday- that intrigued Suul. Control was usually a virtue that had to be taught. Yet it came so naturally to him.

However, it also worried her. It was best that Arro find his limits here, when he was yet a student, rather than out in the thick of things. If he could learn the lessons of failure to be patient here, there would be no cost. If the first time he faced such failures was on the field, then it could destroy this promising young boy.

"Master?"

"Yes, little one?"

"We've gone over this Force senses many times, but why have you never mentioned the fractures yet?"

"Fractures?" WenSuul repeated, slightly confused.

"These ones," Arro replied, guiding her attention through the Force.

"I don't see them, Arro." She replied.

"What?" Arro asked, disbelieving. "But they're there, I swear I can sense them!"

WenSuul paused for a moment, thinking through her surprise. Padawans sometimes claimed to see something there that was not really there. Some were mistaken, interpreting the currents of the Force differently. Yet others really did have certain gifts to see something slightly beyond what the average wielder saw. Perhaps-?

"I am not saying you can't, Arro," she said after considering him a moment. "But even to our greatest masters, the Force is a mystery. There are many aspects to it that we do not even know exists. There are rare abilities out there- talents- that some have but many don't. Perhaps you have discovered one of yours. I cannot tell you what they are, right away, but I can look them up in our library. Perhaps the archive on Tython has some light on these "Fractures". I can look when I return this week."

"Oooh, you're going to Tython!" Arro brightened up. "Can I come this time?"

"I'm sorry, child, but no. You are a resident of this village, and must help with the harvest."

Again, Arro accepted the command without question. Such a pity. WenSuul had hoped that the thought of having a rare talent might make him speak out-show signs of impatience, but yet again, he had accepted her words with only a mild disappointment showing on his face.

Inwardly, WenSuul sighed. Oh, well. The boy still had years ahead in which to meet his limits. To learn to deal with them. And there was always that chance that he was one of those rare individuals who truly was always in control. Who was never pushed to their limits.

Yes, with this child, she could believe that it was the case. She hoped.

*

It was late at night. The last traces of activity had silently faded into the night. Sentry droids and nightwatch patrollers were the only residents of the town still walking the streets. But they were far from alone. The shy, nimble creatures of the night had come out to briefly revel in the world that the day-walkers had vacated. They darted about amidst the trees and fields, hunting, gathering, playing, watching. They were so alike yet so different from their daytime counterparts; they lived much the similar life, yet their approach to it seemed different. While that difference could seem only slight to people-- the difference in which senses they relied upon-- in the Force that valley deepened - widened.

Or at least so it seemed to Arro.

At the very least, the currents of life in the Force were very different when seen at night, forming different melodies and harmonies. He'd asked his master permission to observe these currents once a week.

Today, he had one field he wanted to focus his nighttime meditations on. The Fractures.

He inhaled slowly--deeply-- taking in the cool night air. He held it in for a moment, and then exhaled just as slowly. He repeated the cycle several times, each time taking longer for each- the inhale, the hold, and the exhale. Each cycle led him into a deeper and deeper state of relaxation.

With practice any Jedi could sense the world around him to a limited degree with only a moment's focus. In combat, their sense of the Force was hard to maintain, yet clarity allowed them to perceive and react to attacks.

Still, you needed absolute calm to see the picture that Arro saw now. The Force. A sound, the heartbeat of the world around him; the galaxy. A sight, the world laid bare, with all matter stripped away, revealing itself as an ever shifting ocean of colours. And the touch, the touch of life and growth, of death and change.

His senses wove together a tapestry of lights and sounds and touch, something that felt paradoxical, yet wasn't when seen through the Force.

But as he had resolved earlier, Arro narrowed his gaze on the cracks. There was a beauty to them; they appeared to him as light cracks on a sheet of ice, each emanating from points where pressure had only just begun to break the ice. The cracks spreading, interconnecting.

His instinct told him that some of these points which had the most cracks, could cause maximum impact when they shattered, triggering a collapse that would dwarf those triggered from any other center.

_ Hmmm... the greatest impact  _ ... perhaps that was it?

He awoke from his trance with his senses still open to the Force. The world became quieter, slower. But he remained watchful enough that the cracks were still visible. Actually, seeing them required only a little more concentration than simply glancing through the Force.

He leaped off the balcony he had been sitting in. Landing silently, he dashed forward, wraith-like. His breathing returned to a rhythm as he ran- a different rhythm than when resting, to be sure- but it was still good enough that he felt himself slipping deeper and deeper into the Force's embrace.

He dashed through the streets, past the last of the farms, jumped gracefully over the outer wall.

He continued his run, through the outer rings of the forest, and closer to its centre. Closer, to the centre of one of the larger of these cracks.

Within an hour of running, he approached his destination.

As he neared, he heard the roar of a river.

As he looked over the ledge, he saw that the river was overflowing-- flooded after recent rains. Ahead, he saw a pack of Esgravors, desperately trying to divert the overflow away from their lodges. The outer dams had failed already, and the pond that served as a winter fishery would be washed away. Any newborns would drown if the adults failed to abandon their efforts and reach them in time.

Arro studied the whole scene for as long as he dared, then got to work. First, he scanned the Fractures for a chokepoint, one whose existence diverted the flood towards the Esgravors. Then he used the Force to remove mud and stone from this choke point, widening the gap and allowing the water a different passage, through there. This caused the water to burst out from its new opening, and led to a considerable drop in the water level. With this achieved, he got to work gathering mud, wood, stones, leaves and other materials in his shirt, which he used as a sack. He packed them tightly at the most critical points of the broken outer dam. The Esgravors-- who had clearly understood what he was doing-- hardened the fresh walls of the dam, before running off to gather more mud to pack the walls. A few others began to mend the broken inner walls.

As the level of the river normalized, Arro could only wonder at the genius of these rodents, their industry, their energy, and their teamwork. Although he lingered a while longer, it was clear that his small push had been all they needed to reinforce their lodgings so he backed away. Only then did he notice how cold and wet he was. And of course, his shirt was too wet and dirty to wear again.

He took another look at the Esgravors working behind him, then began to make his way back to the town. He had a feeling that he'd be in trouble tomorrow. But he had learned something about the Cracks. And he had helped a family survive the night. His night had been worth it.

He’d have to sharpen it. It certainly could come in handy!

**

**6 ATC**

**Coruscant**

Kira looked dubiously at the Jedi Order's newest Knight as he walked into the conference room, the old T7 unit following close behind.

Yep, he still looked a kid to her. He wasn't the best looking male she'd ever met. In fact, he didn't look bad at all--it's just that he wasn't terribly attractive either. But his youth was impossible to miss, even for a Mirialian. Oh he was taller than her, alright, but there was no hiding the signs of adolescence on his face. His *thin* face. If she had known he would be knighted the next time they met, she would have told him then, to his face-- and with three Masters watching-- that he needed to eat more.

Under ordinary circumstances he'd still be apprenticed to his Master.  

That a kid no matter how skilled, could be promoted to Jedi Knight at- how old was he; 13, 14? - showed how short-handed the Jedi were. How pressing the need for Knights.

Personally, Kira was in no hurry.

The boy knight took one look at Doctor Tarnis and stopped in his tracks; skin going pale and eyes widening. He looked like he’d seen a ghost.

If he was going to be so spooked, so easily...

"Hello, Padawan, while I don't believe we've been introduced yet, you seem to know me from somewhere?"

"uh... not exactly, you just reminded me of someone," the boy said with a bow. And an apologetic smile.

"He’s not a Padawan," Master Kiwiiks corrected. "Arro is a full Knight of the Jedi Order."

That got some looks, with one of the General's aides even snorting in disbelief, and a researcher muttering, "Remarkable..."

“He passed the trials… he has proven himself. The entire Council was impressed.”

Master Orgus addressed his former Padawan, "You remember Master Kiwiiks, and her Padawan Kira? This is General Var Suthra," he indicated the Mon Calamari in the General's uniform, "and the Doctor you thought you recognized is Doctor Eli Tarnis. We're discussing why the Republic built a Planetary-scale weapon without notifying the Jedi Order."

"My work barely qualifies as a weapon," Tarnis protested hotly. "It's the most humane military technology ever invented! The planet prison supercharges a planet's upper atmosphere, turning it into an enormous ion cannon. Any Starship entering or leaving the planet will be completely disabled. Perfect enemy containment, no casualties."

"Have you tested this Planet Prison's safety?" Arro asked.

"We were about to start field testing when this pointless debate started."

"Regardless, you've allowed the Planet Prison's files to be stolen by some common criminals," Master Kiwiiks admonished.

"I doubt the thieves even realise what they have!” Tarnis said uneasily. “The datafiles are heavily encrypted!"

"We're pursuing every possible lead!" Var Suthra proclaimed firmly, large eyes fixed on Kiwiiks.

"With all due respect, my old friend, isn't it time the Jedi got involved?" Master Orgus said. He turned to Arro. "Master Kiwiiks and I need to speak to the Supreme Chancellor. I need you here, recovering those design files."

"You stay as well, Kira. Your security expertise may come in handy," Master Kiwiiks said.

Kira smiled coyly at the boy. "Let's have fun working together."

He smiled back, just as coy, and answered "Looking forward to it." He didn't blush or stammer as he had on Tython, the first time they'd met.

As they finished, a handsome dark-skinned human male dashed into the hall. Kira was mildly disappointed when Arro nimbly dodged his sudden, blind entry.

"General, we have a lead on the thieves!" he announced.

"Agent Galen, Strategic Information Service. Agent, these young Jedi will assist you. The Supreme Chancellor has requested a meeting, along with these Masters." He then led the Masters out.

Without preamble, Galen began his briefing. "Thirty-two hours ago, thieves raided a military storehouse. Stole weapons, munitions and datafiles for the Planet Prison. The thieves' leader slipped up-- showed his face to a camera. We identified him from our criminal database." He activated a datapad, and a holo image of a small, shifty alien sprang up. "Vistis, Rodian smuggler and thief, currently a guest of the so-called Migrant's merchant's guild. They’re organized gangsters, currently control the 215 Market Sector."

"Why would alien gangsters rob a military storehouse?"

"The Council has been sensing a growing darkness for weeks," Arro reminded him. "I think that the gangsters are intermediaries, perhaps working with someone who can actually build their own weapons. Use them."

A moment of silence. Kira had to admit, this kid was probably right.

And though he didn't say "Empire" out loud, the others had picked up on the danger of their mortal enemy gaining access to those files.

Tarnis had gone pale, eyes widening in fright. One of his colleagues looked like they were going to be sick.

"Oh dear! I really must sit down! Excuse me..."

“Need to bring him in. Fast. Does Vistis have any real backup?”

“Some but not much. You should be able to get to him

"Contact me when you find Vistis. The datafiles are our priority, but try to recover anything they stole from us. Good luck!"

As he was heading out, Arro gestured to Kira, who jogged up to him.

"Tarnis is even more important than he appears to be," Arro said. "Like a thousand times more. Keep him safe, and secure."

Kira was taken aback. She'd been expecting him to confide his doubt in his ability to cope with such a large threat. Perhaps help him more actively, on the field. Nor was this, she could tell right away, the standard "Stay and hold down the fort", line. He really did think something was going to happen with the doctor. He was trusting her with what he thought was life or death.

She changed her stance slightly, deciding to take him as seriously as she would a real knight. "When you walked in, saw Tarnis, you looked like you’d seen a ghost. Were you actually sensing something?"

Arro nodded. "A Shatterpoint. A big one."

"Shatterpoint?" Kira asked, then spoke up again when he looked like it required a long explanation, "Long story I take it? Never mind then. Go out and get Vistis. I'll watch over Tarnis. I won't let you down, I promise!"

**

**Nine hours later**

Kira groaned as she woke up, pushing off chunks of plaster and dusting off debris.

What happened? It felt like a Wampa had fallen on her.

It began coming back to her. A sudden Red Alert. She'd barely had time to blink before several heavily armed intruders had charged into the room. She hastily activated her lightsaber, deflecting a volley of blaster bolts. Luckily, the assailants weren't aiming at anyone in particular.

She tried to shield herself from the Merr-Sonn Concussion Detonator but hadn't made it in time.

As she stood up, she saw a dozen other security personnel fallen around her, most stunned by the blast, but no one looked mortally wounded. The attack had been so sudden, that none of the intruders had even been shot at, much less shot down.

Agent Galen stormed into the room. He took one glance at the mess, then immediately looked inside one of the offices behind them and groaned loudly. The Lead Researcher's office.

Tarnis's.

Kira winced as she remembered her earlier promise. _ Famous last words  _ !

"Black Sun," Galen informed her as she stepped near him. “Coming in, they sent in three different teams on different objectives, each looking like a diversion to the next. This must have been their real objective.”

"Do we know where they went?" she asked.

"Their exit was much less subtle than their entry. We're tracking them.”

"Give me some backup, and call the Masters!" Kira said, staggering towards the door.

"You look like you can barely walk straight!" Galen observed.

"I've no choice, we must save Tarnis," Kira said. "We can't let anyone have him! Not with what he knows!"

As she walked out, real fear took root in her gut. If Tarnis was taken, then they--  _ whoever "They" were  _ \-- would have access to many of R&D's secrets! And Arro had pointedly said that he was even more important than that!

Kira fought off her building panic. No. No there had to be time to save him still. She had to move. Maybe she couldn't do it herself, but maybe she could keep them busy until Master Kiwiiks got here. Or Master Orgus. Or even Arro. Yes, there had to be time. She couldn't let it end like this!

**

The Shatterpoint had broken. It had broken long before Arro had reached Kira and her security team at the Spaceport, where their quarry had turned out to be just another decoy. Tarnis had been taken away, in the confusion, to the heart of Black Sun territory. The operation to kidnap Doctor Tarnis had been well planned.

Now Arro sat in Var Suthra's office, as Agent Galen reported in morose tones that with Tarnis, the Black Sun would probably be able to decrypt the files, and then have details of not only the Planet Prison, but all of the Republic Top Secret Weapons Projects and their facilities.

"A bunch of common gangsters shoot their way into the most secure section of the Senate Tower, grab a high-ranking scientist and then  _ disappear  _ ! Gave us the slip while we chased yet another diversion! How could this happen?" the beleaguered General roared at nobody in particular.

Silence reigned for a few moments. Then Master Kiwiiks spoke up. "We must move quickly to secure these weapons. Where are they? How well defended?"

"We have over a hundred R&D Projects, and many of them are in different systems across the Core! And they have minimal security and personnel to keep them low-profile, so they can't be moved quickly!"

It seems trusting secrecy as the best defense was a terrible idea, Arro thought. He made a mental note to tell the Council to tighten their defenses later on; just because the Sith hadn't attacked Tython yet, didn't mean that they didn't know where it was. Besides, there was no telling if and when a secret had fallen into hostiles hands.

"Then secure the most critical ones first," Arro said aloud. "Ones that are the deadliest, and whose facilities are too remote to secure quickly- or too open to do so unnoticed."

Var Suthra huffed in deep thought, "Well, I can think of three facilities that fit those criteria. For most of the other projects, we can probably just move around some of our forces to secure within a week... some can just be scrapped outright."

"Master Kiwiiks and I will take one each-" Master Orgus said, "-and I'll take the third one!" Agent Galen finished.

"You stay here and find doctor Tarnis," Orgus told Arro, leading him to the door. "And the copied datafiles. We still have our best case scenario in sight- if we move quickly, we can recover them before the secrets get out."

"Kira can help you in your search," Master Kiwiiks said. "She can be impulsive, but give her a chance. Guide her if she needs it. She can learn from your example."

"Me teach her? You do know I’m even younger than she is, right?" Arro said, which at least managed to bring a chuckle to Var Suthra's worried face, although it caused Agent Galen to drop his water canister and splutter "Whut-?".

Master Orgus grinned, but ignored the question. "Find them quick enough, we may not have to secure these facilities at all."

"Yes Master," Arro bowed, and made for the door. Then he hesitated a moment and turned back. "But I don't think the best case is possible anymore," he told Orgus and Kiwiks in an undertone. "This Shatterpoint has broken."

**

**Destination: Sector 25225, aka "Black Sun Sector"**

It had been a seven-hour journey to Black Sun Territory, and they had decided to shift their base of operations to the CoruSecurity's local precinct, with TeeSeven watching over them from the SIS Headquarters, at the Senate Tower. There, he'd be better situated to keep an eye on the bigger picture and offer tactical support, while Kira monitored Arro's progress from closer.

Kira piloted the Speeder that Coruscant Security had placed at their disposal, the Junior Knight in the forward passenger's seat.

_ Well... Arro _ . perhaps she should show him a bit of respect, at least.

Kira had known from gossip that Arro was a gifted duelist, but there in the spaceport, she realized that the gossip mills had understated it. The boy was an artist!

He had charged ahead, drawing heavy fire. Not a single bolt got by him. This was defensive Form III at its finest. He used his energy economically, using the minimum required exertion to redirect incoming fire. Several of the gangsters fell to their own ricocheting bolts. It hadn’t been ten seconds and he had closed in on them, appearing at their very center. Then he’d turned to his left, attacked one side of the line. The strikes that took down fifteen thugs looked like one single, fluid move. Then he’d launched his saber into the air in the opposite direction, taking out some of the shooters on the other side. The ones that had managed to evade the azure blade, by the time they’d gotten to their feet again, they fell to the blade as it returned to its owner, spinning a path of blue plasma.

It was no wonder that the Council had been in such a hurry to Knight him-- blade to blade, he could probably be a match for most Sith. And he'd proven quite sharp too.

However, she couldn't help but feel like they had dealt him a very bad hand. Skilled or not, clever or not, he was still too young to be given the burden of making grown-up decisions.

She could already see that it was getting to him-- training was one thing, but he had been given the reins of an investigation where the fate of millions hung in the balance.

It was no wonder he had looked so chagrined when he met up with Kira at Agent Galen's station.

She glanced across at him. He was meditating, perhaps still reeling under the pressure.

She did not look forward to what they were about to do. The Black Sun Stronghold that Salaar was rumored to be found at boasted formidable defenses, lots of men, and presumably a lot of the weapons and munitions that had been stolen. Arro had only recovered a fraction of them. And they were about to storm that fortress with only Sergeant Nidaljo's few security teams that Agent Galen had loaned them.

And this was the steep mountain they had to scale in order to save Doctor Tarnis and recover the stolen datafiles.

**

**Location Unknown**

Lord Tarnis was surprised when he answered his holocom and found a very distressed, highly infuriated Salaar on the other end.

"Tarnis, we risked everything for you! Stealing those datafiles, breaking you out, and this is how you repay us?"

"You were compensated with enough military-grade arms and armour to make Black Sun invincible," he cooly told the man.

"Invincible?!" Salaar demanded lividly. "Our base just got torn apart by just two Jedi! It's your fault, we never should have trusted a Sith!"

Jedi? Tarnis was more than a little shocked. It hadn't even been twelve hours since his extraction! To think that the Jedi not only eliminated the diversionary team, but also found the trail to Salaar and then successfully overtaken his bastion in such a short time?

But he carefully tried not to let his shock show.

"If a Jedi has come for you, Salaar, it wasn't my doing. Oh, and by the way, looks like you have company already."

The Jedi Knight called Arro had entered the room, with the mouthy Padawan Kira right behind him.

They had both heard Salaar call him Sith.

There was an expression of stunned horror on Kira's face, but the young Knight Arro looked like he had been bracing himself for this.

"Tarnis," he said. "I'm going to find you."

"That's LORD Tarnis to you, alien peasant. And I'd love to stay and gloat, but it's been a long day and I'm tired. Coruscant's fate is sealed already." He disconnected the call.

He turned towards the bedchamber. This safehouse he'd acquired wasn't luxurious, but it was larger and better equipped than the quarters he'd been using for the past few years. Light Classical Coruscanti music, aroma of Ithorian blossoms, air cooling... He was looking forward to a good night's sleep before beginning the next phase of his plan. The final phase.

It had indeed been a long day. You couldn't be a successful infiltrator without knowing a threat when you saw one.

That Jedi, Arro, had seen something in him, he had been certain of it. Thankfully, it seemed he hadn't been able to see enough. Tarnis’s Mask had held.

But the boy had been so close... there right in front of Tarnis he had realized that pieces were being moved in the larger game... from there it would have been only short leap to knowing that there was a mole. And as Lead Scientist, Tarnis would be first on the radar. Luckily, the Jedi hadn't been given the time to think. He had immediately dispatched to seek out the Rodian thug. But Tarnis didn't want to wait around to see if he took long to figure things out.

He wanted to think that his hand hadn't been forced, but he had been counting on a few more days. He had wanted to steal the prototype Planet Prison from the vault. But there hadn't been enough time. Now, he would be forced to build one from scratch.

It was good that there were Imperial resources were at his disposal, here on Coruscant. They could acquire the necessary materials and components, then assemble it in a few weeks.

But it would have been faster to just steal the damn prototype instead!

Oh well, his frequency was secured, so there could be no tracing the call back to him. There was only one thing left; he activated the detonator in the scientists quarters. It wasn't a high yield one, he had needed to conceal it, after all. But it would be enough to kill his colleagues who had worked under him to develop the Planet Prison. It was good that their rooms were all so close together.

Sighing contentedly, he discarded his robes and sat down in the hot, scented bath.

The time for the final act was nearing.

Soon, father. Soon!

**

Kira was exhausted. Neither she nor Arrohad slept in weeks. They'd been busy following every lead, chasing every rumor.

But only dead ends so far.

The scientists' deaths had been a heavy loss; they might have had vital information.

Only one scientist had survived the blast, but he had been severely injured, and had died soon after. But he had lived long enough to tell Var Suthra one vital piece of information; that the planet prison's activation would be heralded by a massive heat buildup.

Coruscant security was on high alert for massive heat signatures worldwide, and had already spotted seven. All of them were false alarms. But since there were only a few hours before it reached full charge, each alert had brought everyone to full battle readiness. The repeated stress had gotten to everyone, and morale was dropping by the hour.

The only one who hadn't jumped had been Arro, who had not moved from his perch in response to any of those alarms.

He had requested a secluded balcony to meditate in, and when he wasn't chasing down leads with Kira and TeeSeven, he was here. He stared into the distance for hours without pause; meditating, pouring every drop of his concentration into looking for something. Though Kira didn't know what.

At first, everyone was happy to let him do his Jedi thing, but as people started to snap for smaller and smaller reasons from the pressure, they began to wonder what he was up to. They'd stopped referring to him as "Master Jedi", or "Sir Arro" anymore, and had taken to derisively calling him the boy knight. Funny that that was what Kira had called him at first.

They forgot that Arro had taken charge as well as could be expected, setting people to work on clear objectives that made perfect sense.

Within minutes of returning to the Senate Tower, he had ordered that TeeSeven lead a small team in finding out the components required to build a working Planet Prison. To determine which of these were hardest to come by, and therefore could only be acquired through highly limited avenues.

There had been seven such components, and indeed they had been able to intercept multiple shipments of several of these.

The people moving them hadn't been thugs or hired help; they were full Imperial, sleeper agents who had been sent to Coruscant in case they were needed.

They were all highly loyal and well trained. But operational secrecy meant that they only knew their immediate tasks so they were no closer to finding Tarnis himself.

Each shipment thwarted denied Tarnis resources, and while they continued responding to thermal scans, CoruSecurity had hoped they had bought precious time. That their clues would eventually get them something. But time was not stopping for anyone.

TeeSeven approached Kira and whistled a question about what Arro was doing. Kira was disconcerted that even the loyal astromech had begun to lose hope... or whatever it was that passed for hope in droids.

"He's looking. Through the Force. I dunno  _ what  _ it is he's looking for, though." Kira didn't voice her doubts about it though; seeing through the Force seemed like a desperate measure to her.

It was at that moment that Arro sprung up from his mat, and urgently called for a speeder. The command center erupted back to life, all eyes on Arro.

"The Temple. He's going to be at the Jedi Temple. How many people do we have who can reach there in thirty minutes?"

"Twenty, Sir!" an Ensign reported.

"Then tell them to meet me at the entrance. And to come discreetly, if possible. Thirty minutes."

"Pardon me sir, but we detect no rapid heat buildup there," one technician said.

"Not yet, anyway," Arro said. His certainty was clear.

He marched out, motioning Kira and TeeSeven to follow.

As their speeder took off, Kira piped up, "How do you know?"

"I saw a massive Shatterpoint start to form. All of Coruscant will be affected if it shatters."

Shatterpoint.

"That's the second time I've heard you say it," Kira said. "What the hell is a Shatterpoint?"

Arro paused for a second, putting thoughts to words.

"The Force is in everything, and everything affects the Force. Living or inanimate, metal or flesh, matter or energy... They each affect the currents of the Force. They affect it as components like atoms, or they affect it as a group like a star. The currents of the Force get stretched and compressed by all the activities, and form this magnificent but brittle tapestry. Like a sheet of thin ice. The ice starts to give, to fracture, where pressure is applied; the cracks spread and interconnect.

They represent causality, interconnectedness.

Strike one node, and others will also react. The points that affect the ice the most are shatterpoints."

Kira slowly exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Wow. That's handy. Is that why the Council gave you your early Knighthood? Because you have a supersense that lets you know who you gotta kill?"

Arro looked at her sharply. "Killing is a last resort. Always."

Kira did her best to look appropriately abashed, and Arro went on.

"I don't think the Council has ever discussed it. Master Satele might know. I recently told Master Orgus... and Master Kiwiiks too. I didn't explain it to them in detail though.”

"And even so, knowing where to strike is never enough," he said, expression clouding. "These Shatterpoints are threats and opportunities, and you can't tell them apart. Just look at my mistake with Tarnis-- I saw a massive shatterpoint and the first thought I had was that he had to be protected at all costs! Instead, the Shatterpoint was a warning that  _ he was a traitor  _ . And I mistook it."

Kira considered that.

"These critical points... you don't have to see them to interact with them. Seeing only tells you which points are critical. But not HOW to strike them. I have to strike the Shatterpoint in such a way that I get the intended effect. Sometimes it's done by attacking it, but it's rarely a feat of raw power. You set events in motion. You teach, you guide. Most often, the best method is not direct intervention at all."

"I described it as shattered ice, but it's more akin to stacked dominoes. Hit the right one, everything falls. Reinforce the right one, or remove select ones from the arrangement, and the collapse is halted."

"But a lot relies on my instincts... and I am many decades away from good, let alone perfect..."

Kira didn't know what to say.

“Tarnis caught my reaction too; everyone did, there was no hiding it. He was probably spooked and set his plans into overdrive. I had activated this Shatterpoint... But wrongly. By misinterpreting it, I allowed Tarnis a window in which he escaped.”

Kira understood now, why he had been so troubled. “But it wasn't your fault, you know that right?”

He explained this "sight" straightforwardly enough. but to her it sounded like it was like walking around on a floor of crushed glass; you had no way of avoiding the shards. TeeSeven beeped out an exclamation, and she thought that he had understood too, just what kind of gift burdened the young knight.

They sat the rest of the brief journey in silence. The ruins of the Temple loomed ahead.

It was time to land... and time to end this.

  
  



	3. Battle in the Temple Ruins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to end this. Arro must face Lord Tarnis at the Jedi Temple to stop him from unleashing the Planet Prison on the tightly populated Coruscant

**Battle in the Temple Ruins**

**6 ATC Coruscant**

They rendezvoused at a safehouse near the remains of the Jedi Temple. There were thirty soldiers, more than what was promised. And even more would come soon.

Within minutes of landing, they got a surprised, awed call that a heat signature was indeed beginning to build at the temple. It wouldn't be noticed for another twenty five minutes if they hadn't been focused on the Temple.

Things were finally going their way! Spirits were rising.

"The Planet Prison is here, but we don't know whether Tarnis is," Arro said. "It would be best if he doesn't slip through our fingers again. Kira, T7 and I will go in together, make our way to the Planet Prison, if he's here at all, that's where he'll be. We'll signal you once we have visual confirmation; sneak in, secure the exits. Arrest anyone inside."

The troops nodded, saluted. Boy, were they eager!

As Kira and T7 followed Arro out, she asked, "Know how we're going to get past Tarnis's men without a fuss?"

Arro thought for a minute. Then surprised her by giving her an evil smile.

"You're going to convince them that we're Angral's apprentices."

This was going to be fun!

**

Captain Bench straightened up as two figures strode into view. They were wearing what looked like Jedi Robes, and had Lightsabers.

The pair made straight for the men, neither one drawing their weapon. The girl in the lead raised an arm in greeting to Bench, as a few of his men, concealed, leveled their blasters at them.

"Captain," she said haughtily after inspecting the Rank Cylinder discreetly attached to his left sleeve. "We're Lord Tarnis's apprentices. Our Master called us back at long last."

Bench looked at them with careful suspicion. "Lord Tarnis didn't tell us about this..."

She sneered at him. "Ooo, does he tell you everything then?"

Bench felt an invisible hand on his throat. It didn't choke him, the way some Sith did, but its loving presence made Bench stand up straighter. He noticed that the men he could see from the corners of his eyes had likewise straightened rigidly.

"N-n-n-no, m-my Lords. I-I-I uh,I w-would confirm with him, but-"

"But he's gone off comms, we know," the boy drawled.

"Why does the Master have guards here anyway?" the girl muttered. "No one can stop us now. Unless- How can we be sure you're not Republic Special Forces?"

The boy reached for his blade.

Sheer terror coursed through his veins.

"My lords, I am Imperial! Uh-- "From the Sands of Korriban I come, to watch, to wait, to serve!"" He intoned hurriedly. The phrase was how the sleepers were to identify themselves to their Sith Masters.

The pair stopped for a second, considered him.

"Well, alright then. It’s not like the Republic can stop us anyway."

"Stay sharp men. We're going."

They turned and walked away, straight for the crumbling stairwell; a lone, battered astromech unit trailing along behind them.

Bench mopped his brow. He nodded to his soldiers, and they shakily went back to their positions.

Every time he thought he had learned to tread lightly around Sith, one came along and reminded him just how wrong he was...

*

Once they were out of earshot, both started giggling uncontrollably.

""Republic SpecForces"? You're horrible!" Arro told her, doubled over.

"Oh no you don't, Mr not-so-good-cop, I saw you reach for your Lightsaber. And don't think I didn't notice you reach out for their throats earlier. Bad boy!"

"It was just a touch," Arro protested. "I wasn't going to hurt them!"

"You did hurt their pride though. That Captain wet himself."

"He didn't notice it though-" "That's what makes it worse, you idiot!" Even TeeSeven joined in their silent, barely restrained mirth.

It seemed playing pranks on your enemies was a really good team building exercise.

They reached their destination within minutes. The former Council Chambers. The sight gave them equal parts awe and sadness; it was the final symbol, of just how many lives were lost. Of what defeat had cost, both the Republic and the Jedi Order.

Looking ahead, they saw a figure in hooded robes waiting for a holocall to connect. The glow of the Holotable lit up his face.

Tarnis.

"Tarnis in sight, we have visual confirmation, Lieutenant. Repeat. Tarnis in sight. Take the Temple."

"Roger," came the reply.

The trio advanced silently. Arro stopped for a moment, motioned towards a makeshift console that had a lot of power cables attached to it.

TeeSeven obliged, and silently cut the power, melted the circuitry so that repair would take time.

As TeeSeven worked, Arro and Kira advanced on Tarnis.

His call had connected: four beings-- clearly Sith-- stood before him.

"Planet Prison is activated, father. It will be charged in two hours. I will be leaving Coruscant now. The Republic will have no choice but to surrender completely."

"You return to me as a hero, my son," the Leader spoke. He had a severe face, left cheek covered in cybernetics. "Our victory is complete."

“Not really," Kira said as they stepped forward.. "Teeseven here cut the power you need for that extremely gluttonous machine of yours, and even if he hadn't you need two hours for full charge."

The masked Sith chuckled. "What's this, Tarnis? A loose end? For shame!"

"You're here already?" Tarnis snarled. "How did you get past my guards so easily? No matter. I have had enough of you. I will kill you and the Sith shall win some day."

"But not today," Arro said. "Surrender. I don't want to kill you."

Tarnis's father roared at that. "How DARE you? Tarnis is MY son! The son of DARTH ANGRAL! We are of a powerful Sith Line-- while you look barely old enough to be out of your cradle-- are the Jedi really so short handed as to send a child? Channel your rage, my son! You are more than powerful enough to kill this little child!"

"Your blood flows through my body, father. I cannot fail," Tarnis said, drawing on the Force.

He released it as a blast of Force Lightning.

Arro and Kira both caught the lightning on their blades, but the force of it pressed them back hard.

Through the strain, Arro studied the Force Lightning curiously. It was the first time he'd ever seen it being used. Tarnis was compressing different flows of the Force, causing a massive strain in those currents as they fought to return to their original paths. The strain built up and exploded quicker than the eye could see, and Tarnis was channeling the explosion in the form of bolts of lightning.

Looking at such a blatant use of Dark Side, Arro considered that the difference between Light Side and Dark Side use of the Force was in how you tended the flows. The Jedi way of surrendering to the Force meant that these flows all moved to accommodate the changes the Jedi introduced. Yet the Sith way of Passion placed an iron grip on those flows, causing them to scream and break apart in ways that normally wouldn’t occur. Looking at it, he wondered if it was possible for a Jedi, using only the Lightside, could use Lightning. It  _ should  _ be possible; Lightning wasn’t abnormal- but it would require working in tandem with the currents, not against them. Perhaps using the naturally violent flows- in clouds, for instance- a Jedi might be able to call forth a bolt of Lightning…?

And if the Force could be used to create lightning in that manner, then perhaps with practice he could  _ undo  _ Force Lightning by soothing the currents.

Interesting.

Curiosity satisfied, he used the Force as well; redirected the stream slightly upwards,while dodging under the lightning. He charged at Tarnis.

Tarnis cursed, let the lightning dissipate. He drew his lightsaber and a red blade sprang to life.

He tried to meet Arro's charge and counterattack but was forced completely on the defensive. He was barely quick enough to stop the jabs Arro aimed at his face,chest and throat. The strength of his blows was constantly throwing the Sith off balance. And Arro was still holding back, wary of whatever tricks a full Sith Lord would have up his sleeve. But he realized that while Tarnis was competent with the blade, he wasn't nearly good enough to face Arro. In fact, Arro thought that Tarnis would rank only slightly above the average Jedi in proficiency. He wasted no more time. Striking fast, he severed the lightsaber’s emitter, killing the blade. Then his stroke cut off Tarnis's sword arm.

Within a few seconds of the blades' initial clash, it was over.

Tarnis fell to the ground-- howling, terrified.

"No! YOU WILL NOT TAKE ME ALIVE!" He cried. With his good hand, he unsheathed a ceremonial dagger from his boot and cut his own throat.

"NOOO!" Arro shouted, but his voice was drowned out by that of Tarnis's father.

"JEDI FILTH!!!! YOU’VE KILLED MY SON!"

The Sith Pureblood, silent until now, spoke up. "He will pay with his life, my master. I swear it."

"You have no idea what you have unleashed here, today, Jedi! You will regret this bitterly! The entire Republic will burn! The survivors will weep amidst the ashes and curse your name for a thousand generations! "

"We already control all of your secret weapon facilities," the last Sith spoke. "All that power is ours now. And it will all be used to make your Republic suffer.."

Arro spoke up, "I gave him a chance to surrender! I disarmed him, would have accepted his surrender-" but that only made the Sith leader angrier, and he howled again.

"Fine. Your grudge is with me, there is no need to bring in the rest of the Republic. Choose the place, let us settle this," he tried.

"Oh no, oh no! Millions will suffer and die because of you, and as they suffer, you will suffer!  And when I finally have you, you will beg to be killed! Tell your masters that DARTH ANGRAL has returned... and there will be no mercy this time."

With that, the call disconnected.

Kira shuddered beside him. "Such a charmer... I miss him already!"

"Come," Arro said, spirits sinking despite the victory. "We need to secure the Planet Prison. Maybe dismantle it so that no one "accidentally" repairs and reactivates it."

He moved to the Planet Prison. It didn't look like a Top Secret Weapon. The main body of the weapon was a cylindrical unit twenty five inches high, ten in diameter. It had a telescopic antenna at the top, which at full length stood twelve feet above the ground. Several panels for adjusting power flow. But put enough juice and this little device could hold an entire world hostage like no blockade would.

Instead of dismantling it, Arro chose to chop it into as many little pieces as he could with his lightsaber, leaving only twisted, melted slag behind as they walked away.

As they were leaving, he contemplated the vengeance of the notorious Darth Angral. He would be true to his word and rain destruction on millions.

Barely holding back tears, Arro said bitterly, "Another shatterpoint spectacularly misjudged. I'm off to a great start as a Knight!"

  
  



	4. The Thrown Gauntlet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The threat of Lord Tarnis has been answered. But a new threat has emerged, bearing the face of Darth Angral

When Arro returned to Var Suthra's office, the General was on the holo with Grand Master Satele Shan.

"With all due respect Grand Master, no one saw this coming. Not even the Jedi Council." The life-size holo-image of Master Satele folded her arms; her expression was stern yet tired.

"We've been sensing it for weeks, General. We might have been able to take precautions if you told us about your secret projects." They both turned to Arro as he entered.

"Ah here he is! The Hero of Coruscant. Glad to have you back!"

"We were reviewing how you handled the situation," Satele said. "Very good work, Arro. That was quite the chase Tarnis led you on, but you did admirably well. Better than we could have expected of you."

"Looking for movement of the more exotic components was smart," Var Suthra acknowledged. "As was keeping the troops monitoring heat build ups. But divining the location using the Force alone has done quite a bit to awe the people who worked with you."

"Thank you," Arro bowed. "But we have to talk about the consequences. Tarnis is dead, and the Planet Prison destroyed. But another threat has emerged now."

"One greater than before, arguably." Master Satele agreed. "Darth Angral... who would have thought that his own son had infiltrated our highest ranks?"

"And that he had been such a gifted Scientist, too." Var Suthra agreed. "But now that he's dead, Angral is flooding the public channels with his maniacal declaration of revenge."

"Darth Angral personally led the forces that sacked Coruscant in the war. He wasn't happy when the Treaty called him to end his hostilities."

"That's understating it," Var Suthra said. "He was damn livid! He'd assumed he could destroy the Republic and the Jedi in one fell swoop, and had to stop with his prize within his reach! Looks like he's back to finish what he started. His actions have been formally disavowed by the Empire, saying that he's gone rogue-- which is a lie of course-- And the Senate refuses to offer a Military response!"

"For good reason," Master Satele cut in. "We cannot risk open war. We aren't ready, neither the Republic nor the Jedi! Billions would die."

"And if Darth Angral turns our own weapons against us, billions WILL die! Tarnis transmitted details on all of our Top Secret projects to his father. We traced that call to Ord Mantell. Darth Angral must have a base there. We still haven't heard from Masters Kiwiiks and Orgus, so it's up to you to find this base."

"I'm worried about Angral," Arro said. "He really does want to hurt as much of the Republic as he can for his son's death. The sooner we can stop him the better."

"I doubt the man himself is there," Var Suthra said. "Though there is a separatist movement on Ord Mantell, it's too much of a hot-zone for him to use as a base of operations. It's more likely a secure relay; a hub for his spy network."

"Our Jedi are already stretched thin right now," Master Satele shook her head. "The mission is yours. Take Kira with you; With Master Kiwiiks silent, she will need another Master. Train and protect her as your own Padawan."

"You'll be glad to have me before this is done, Master," Kira said. "I promise."

"Then May the Force be with you," Master Satele bowed, and her transmission ended.

Var Suthra was silent for a time after the holo dissolved. He moved back to his table, and sat with his face in his arms for a few minutes. "All I ever wanted was to protect the Republic..." he said, shoulders heaving with emotion. "That day when the Empire came... I was here. I was actually at the Temple that day. I saw all those Jedi cut down... even Padawans- and younglings! The whole point of these weapons projects was so that this wouldn't happen again!"

The poor Mon Calamari was overwhelmed by sorrow, and guilt. Arro remembered his first acquaintance with an actual battle. How the Battlefield leaves nightmares even for the winners. He was acutely aware that the General was giving in to a moment of weakness... and that he was sharing that moment with a sixteen year old. He felt numbed by the new confidence.

"I understand, General," Arro said, walking up to the General, pouring him a glass of the water. He laid it before Var Sutra, then sat down opposite him. "You did what you thought was best, and Tarnis turned your good intentions against you. I am confident that, again, you will do what you think is best. It's because you are a good soldier. And more importantly, a good man." Var Suthra looked up at him, an expression of gratitude on his face.

"Take the time you need, General. To come to terms with this. But don't be too hard on yourself. We're only mortal after all... I'll leave for Ord Mantell as soon as I can.

The General stood up, moving again with a quick efficiency. "Yes. Ord Mantell. I'm assigning a Ship to use as your own. The "Aurum Steel Shield". She's a good mix of it all-- light, fast, tough. May she serve you well. She'll be waiting for you at the Spaceport this time tomorrow. You can also use one of the Jedi Order's private apartments to catch up on some sleep before you leave. It offers a little extra calm, privacy for rest. I have a feeling that there will be precious little of that in the days to come."

Arro nodded. "Can you also send me everything you have on Darth Angral? I do know him from stories, but I'd like to be better aware of what I'm up against."

"You'll have access to that and a lot more data on your ship," Var Suthra said. "We will establish a secure link so that you can access military data easily on your missions."

Arro nodded his thanks, and turned to leave, Kira falling in step behind him. He would rest now, as the General suggested. Tomorrow, he would have to begin preparing for his first war. He would answer the challenge by Darth Angral


	5. A Watcher in the Wilds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief but desperate race for top scientist Nasan Godera takes place on the world of Taris, a race between Imperial Intelligence and Jedi Knight Arro

**Taris**

"I have to get my friend out of here!" The "Rodian" implored.

Arro resisted the urge to sigh deeply. Young as he was, he'd touched enough Human and Rodian minds to be able to distinguish the two. Aside from that there was the Shatterpoint...

"TeeSeven, run a thorough scan of our so-called Rodian friend here?"

TeeSeven complied, and reported that the Rodian was actually a middle-aged human man with a very convincing holodisguise. TeeSeven also reported that the unconscious man was likewise disguised, and not injured but drugged.

"So, Watcher One, we meet face-to-face at last," Arro said cooly. In a single fluid motion he ignited his Lightsaber, and pointed the tip at the man's chest. "Step away from Doctor Godera, nice and slow, if you please. And you can drop the disguise."

"Oh, blast," the Rodian cursed. He clicked a hidden button on his wrist and the holofield around him disintegrated, revealing the illusive spymaster. "What gave it away?"

"Your underwear's showing," Arro joked. "Imperial crest and all."

The spymaster went beet-red and cursed, moving his hands to tuck his clothes in... then realized that he wasn't being serious. Arro wondered idly if the man really did have underwear with Imperial crests.

Chortling, Kira stepped forward to look at the unconscious scientist, head of Secret Project way back before the treaty of Coruscant. Nasan Godera.

General Var Suthra had been very clear in stressing his importance during their briefing.

 

*

“Lord Tarnis may have been in charge of our special weapons programs, but all of these designs were invented by Doctor Nasan Godera. He’s a genius; a legend in the world of weapons technology. A man who calculates targeting algorithms in his head for fun..”

“If he’s such a genius why wasn’t he leading the program?” Arro had asked.

“He didn’t take kindly to the Republic surrendering during the war. He hates the Empire. He quit in protest and disappeared. We recently located him on Taris, but the swamps, predators and treacherous city ruins are keeping us from finding him.”

“Taris…” Arro said. “That world sounds ominously familiar.”

“That’s right,” Kira recalled. “Taris was bombarded by Darth Malak who was hunting for Jedi Bastila Shan. Turned the whole planet into rubble. But that was over three hundred years ago.”

Arro nodded, “Ah yes, I remember now. Orbital Bombardment, global scale mass murder, Mutative Degenerative virus… Why would anyone be here, of all places?”

“The Republic is attempting to recolonize Taris. Partly because of the devastation from the Siege of Coruscant. Brief though it was, the infrastructure loss was significant enough that shiploads of refugees had to be relocated. It got even worse when gangs and criminal syndicates started exploiting the mayhem. So, many planets were chosen for the billions left homeless and poor. Many of these colonists were in fact descendants of refugees from Taris. Most had been offworld during the bombardment, and some just plain got away as their world was being destroyed. They’ve been begging the Senate to recolonize their old home for generations. That’s why the Senate agreed to finally give Tarisian recolonization their backing.”

Arro shook his head, amazed. “I guess the call of home is strong.”

“Indeed. And our Doctor Godera evidently sympathized with the sentiment. Came to a world destroyed by the Sith as a symbol of defiance against them, I imagine. Intelligence located a base, fully automated. However, there were only droids inside, and they’re refusing to cooperate. We have established, however, that there are other outposts on Taris, and that Godera is in one of them. There are teams looking for Godera even now, but perhaps it’s best if a Jedi was the one to talk to him. You can find the team assigned to his outpost, and begin from there. You will receive the coordinates and an escort when you land.”

 

*

They had arrived at the site to find the team guarding the outpost slaughtered. Evidently, quite a brutal but short attack had happened. Battle droids lay shot to pieces on the floor. Bodies lay on the floor. Many wore Republic armor, but the rest…

“Imperial troops,” Kira had noted, glumly. “Looks like they know about Godera. Oh, but we’re in for another race here!” They had cautiously ventured into the outpost, finding much of the hardware inside had been destroyed. The remnants of the Imperial attackers were still inside. They clearly knew to expect the Jedi, for they had taken up positions to defend the outpost for as long as possible, and rather than using blasters, they mostly used flamethrowers and grappling hooks. Flashbang grenades. Vibroswords and electropikes.

Tactics for fighting Jedi. Fortunately, Master Orgus had insisted on Arro’s training including infantry tactics. The Imperials had been surprised when Arro had leveled his own blaster at them. While nowhere near the level of an elite soldier, Arro was a decent shot. With his Lightsaber in one hand to redirect incoming fire, he could respond in kind with his own volley, aiming to cover his own advance rather than accurately hitting enemy troops

“When facing soldiers who know how to delay the average Jedi, you may sometimes need to rely on special tactics on countering them in turn. And this is the simplest. Mixing up blasters and the Lightsaber. Flamethrowers are shorter ranged than blasters, and most anti-personnel missiles take a moment to aim. They are useful when facing a Jedi. But a lot less so when facing blaster fire. I have no doubt that you can take on these troops without such tactics, but sometimes, time is of the essence.”

The DR3D droids that Var Suthra had given him as an escort had been relentless in their own assaults on the enemy, and Arro’s small team of five had barely been slowed down at all.

“You’re not a bad shot, you know that? Still, I’m glad I’m better than you at something,” Kira had remarked. Having spent time on the streets as an orphan on Nar Shaddaa, she was quite proficient with the blaster, and happily accepted the blaster Arro had requested for her from the armory.

Once inside the outpost’s command station, they had received a call from a well groomed, moustached  man wearing an Imperial Officer’s uniform.

“That’s enough bloodshed,” the hologram spoke. “Let’s be civil. I am Watcher One with Imperial Intelligence. The men you wiped out served under me”

“Your men slaughtered Republic troops on a Republic world,” Arro accused him sharply. “That’s an act of War!”

“On the contrary. Godera poses quite a threat to the Empire. Our search for him, and this little attack, was about self-preservation. I’ve known about this outpost for some time now. Your imminent arrival forced my hand. I cannot allow Godera to return to the Republic; to return to work. I suggest you turn back, Jedi. You are not my objective, but you have revealed yourself a significant threat to the Empire yourself- by actions like how you handled the fallen Jedi Bengel Morr. You truly are an exemplar of your Order.”

“Wait a minute!” Kira exclaimed. “Either this guy reads minds, or he’s got spies on Tython!”

“If nothing else, the Tarnis incident proved how easily secrets can find their way to the enemy.” Arro responded calmly. “I’ve already told Master Satele that this might be the case.”

“The point is,” the spymaster had continued, “You are a threat, so if you pursue me, I will be willing to eliminate you. Make no mistake, I don’t like hurting children. I’m sorry, but despite your accomplishments, that is what you are. I have already analyzed your strengths and tactics. You don’t stand a chance. Please do not come in my crosshairs.”

 

*

And so Arro had begun the task of catching up with Watcher One before he could find-and eliminate- Doctor Godera. The task was made infinitely easier when one of Godera’s droids, an enthusiastic shit-talker named REM0, had stepped out of his hiding spot to aid the Jedi.

The droid had been very helpful in tracking down his master- but he was also disturbingly thirsty for Imperial blood, and callous about the lives of Republic soldiers.

But thank the stars for his efficiency! They had arrived just in time to foil Watcher One’s attempt to kidnap the Doctor.

And now, here he was, safe and sound- if not yet conscious.

 

"I've trained extensively on hiding my emotions and thoughts from Force-wielders," Watcher One remarked. "That was the first time in a while where I failed."

Arro shrugged, unwilling to give the shrewd man any real information.

As TeeSeven fired a stun blast to shock the spy unconscious, Kira keyed her comm.

"Sodek outpost, do you copy? This is Jedi Kira Carsen."

"Sodek Outpost here sir, what can we do for you?"

"I'm going to need medevac as soon as possible. And maybe a small force to secure this lab I'm at. Sending you the coordinates. I've also got a prisoner here you might want to secure immediately."

"Done sir, we'll be there with you soon."

 

It was only a few minutes before he heard the whine of a speeder over the sounds of the Tarisian jungle. There it was-- Standard military issue. It kicked up dust as it sped into view, bearing three soldiers in worn white armor. The leader removed his helmet to reveal a middle-aged grizzled veteran with a large moustache.

"Hello there Jedi," he greeted Arro and Kira "I'm Commander Tavus, of Havoc- Teeseven is that you?"

Teeseven bleeped a pleasantly surprised greeting in response, followed by several questions.

"Oh you know I can't talk about Special Forces work, Teeseven," Commander Tavus said, smiling ruefully. "Although I can in this case, if only a little. We were on mission to hunt down the operative known as Watcher One. How did you get him?"

"Our objectives clashed," Arro replied. "You've worked with the Special Forces before too, Teeseven?"

The little astromech trilled happily about working together on several occasions, and that Tavus himself was quite a legend.

"This is Lieutenant Wraith, and my Medical Specialist Needles," he gestured to both his companions. "Like I said, we were on Watcher One's trail, but we never expected him to already be caught by a pair of Jedi Padawans."

"It was just pure chance, that's all. We were both at the same place at the same time and he was forced to use an ill-advised disguise."

"Well if you don't mind, we'll be taking him off your hands." Arro nodded, and Wraith moved to quickly secure the downed spy. "It was good that you managed to take him in alive. Someone of Watcher One's position in the Intelligence hierarchy could be a treasure trove of valuable information."

Arro felt reluctant to admonish a soldier, especially a veteran like Tavus, on being gentle. From TeeSeven's brief introduction, it was clear that these soldiers had seen far more front-line combat than they deserved to.

"Would you believe I actually liked him?" He asked instead. "He is a patriot, and his civility was genuine. He didn't want a conflict, and regretted that we were at cross-purposes."

"Not so surprising, Jedi," Tavus said. "These guys are same as us, only born on the other side of the border. They have their own families, motivations, hobbies and lives, same as us. If not for the War, and the tensions, things might have been quite different."

"I wonder if it's possible someday soon," Arro remarked, taking a final look at the unconscious spy. "Where we can just learn to live in peace. Coexist."

"I wouldn't get my hopes up, Jedi," the Lieutenant spoke up brusquely. After ensuring that their prisoner was secure, she took the wheel. "We might not be that different but the guys that rule us are as night and day."

"I hate to cut this short," Tavus said. "But we need to get moving. TeeSeven old friend, it was really nice seeing you again. Maybe we can groan about the Sith Rule and the Senate later? You all take care now. I’m sure the troops you called in to evacuate the Doctor and secure this building will be arriving soon."

 

*

Watcher One groaned as he woke up.

"Good Morning, Watcher. Did you sleep well?"

The spymaster didn't answer. He instead took note of his surroundings. He seemed to be still on Taris. Underground. One of the bombed out buildings, from the looks of it. It looked like a lab in the process of being set up on the floor below.

There were several large transparisteel glass cages, fitted with dozens of monitors and each with its own dedicated observation room. A master Station, where different projects could be coordinated and scrutinized. Dozens of boxes of a wide variety of chemicals. Stainless Durasteel equipment. Sterilization and Heavy Lifting droids.

He turned his attention to the man who questioned him. A small man with a very sinister smile, face decked with cybernetics. He didn't recognize him. Nor did he know the Mirialan woman. His scrutiny stopped abruptly when his eyes found their Commanding Officer.

"Oh blast," he cursed. "I have the worst possible luck!"

"Or the very best," the small man told him with a smirk. "You know who we are?"

"Of course. Every one of us knows Commander Harron Tavus. And that makes you Havoc Squad. The best of Republic Special Forces."

"He knows you pretty well, Commander," the Sinister one said, tossing a grin at his CO. "Doesn't know us though."

"Of course not," Tavus said. He walked up to Watcher One's bed."All these Intelligence types. They love to act like they have our every last datafile available at their fingertips but there's only so much an operative can know. They only ever have thorough briefings of things that they know are in their mission."

He sat down and looked Watcher One in the Eye. "For instance, I doubt you know that Havoc defected three months ago."

The Watcher prided himself on his ability to quickly process information, and to see how it could be used to his advantage. But this declaration left him dumbstruck.

"Eh?"

Neither of the soldiers responded, though the Sinister one began to chuckle.

"How? When? How do I know you're telling the truth?"

His question was answered by the holoterminal. A medium sized image of a familiar bald man materialized in front of him.

"Ah, Watcher One. Good to have you with us again."

"Keeper," Watcher One greeted his old colleague. He liked the man- he was a patriot like Watcher One, and was known to watch out for his operatives as best he could, to shield them from the occasional meddling by Sith like Darth Jadus, or worse. However, he could never bring himself to trust the sly old fox who ran Imperial Intelligence. Too many secrets-- too much paranoia.

“Let’s leave them to their talk. We have our own mission here, Watcher One, so if you don’t mind, we’ll be getting back to it.” With a salute, Tavus led his squad to the lower floor, shutting the door behind him. There was a little privacy here now, although Watcher One highly suspected there would be listening devices. It couldn’t be helped. That Keeper was willing to speak despite that, had to be enough. For now.

 

"Getting a little careless, old friend? You've had wondrous successes only a few months ago, yet the Godera situation wasn't something you should have had trouble with."

"I've no idea what gave it away. The Jedi was tight-lipped about how he saw through my disguise. One second everything was under control, and the next I had a Lightsaber pointed at my chest."

"Indeed."

"This Jedi was only recently Knighted, but his handling of the Planet Prison situation was quite competent. Yet his ability to sniff me out was unexpected."

"And what is your assessment?"

"These Force-Wielding types See things differently in the Force. Perhaps this one could sense my duplicity-- by Lord Tarnis's report we know that the Jedi sensed something off in him. That was why he acted a week ahead of schedule in the first place, before he had all pieces fall into place. With me, he was better prepared to recognize the instinct, perhaps."

"Very well. I'll see the assessment added to his dossier. With luck, the next time we face him we might be able to better analyse his Sight. Or eliminate him entirely."

Watcher One nodded, and Keeper turned to instruct an aid to order the addition.

When Keeper returned his attention, he looked his age for the first time.

For the first time ever.

This was not good.

"Something the matter Keeper?"

"Chaos, old friend. Much has happened these past days. Despite our best efforts, the galaxy accelerates beyond our control.”

The old man took a deep breath before continuing. “Darth Jadus is dead.” Oh dear, This WAS troubling. Not only was Jadus on the Imperial Council, he had been the strongest Sith- next to the Emperor himself in power. No doubt there was worse to come.

“His flagship, the Dominator, was blown out of orbit by a terrorist network. They are now gloating about another strike to come sometime soon. One that will cripple the Empire. And given that the assassination of Jadus was merely a prelude, we’re taking this very seriously.”

“I understand, Keeper.”

“Return to Dromund Kaas. I’ve dispatched our newest Cipher agent on the case, but I’m assigning you to the case as well.”

“Yes sir.”

A new Cipher? Agents with those designation were among the elite. Stripped of their name and records, these operatives were given the best of equipment, top secret clearance- and all of the highest risk operations. Espionage, infiltration, sabotage, assassination, coercion. There were never more than a dozen in the Empire at any given time. That one had been newly promoted and promptly sent out was troubling indeed.

“What about my operation on Taris? Godera?”

“Godera is out of our hands now,” Keeper said somberly. “And frankly, no longer as big a concern as he was. The Eagle is our biggest concern now. As for Taris… we’ll have to leave your other assignments to the Military.”

Oh. For Keeper to abandon an Intelligence initiative, that must really hurt… but yes. This “Eagle” clearly was that important.

“And the most sensitive ones we leave to Havoc.” The old man glared at Watcher One. "As Commander Tavus has no doubt mentioned, Havoc is Imperial now."

Having one of the most illustrious heroes of the Republic defect was quite the coup. And yet if he hadn't heard of it yet...

"I take it this isn't common knowledge yet?"

"No. A number of Republic soldiers defected to us along with Havoc Squad, and for the time being, Special Forces is trying to keep it under wraps. That makes things easier for us, of course, since our defectors can continue to work on the other side for the time being. Garza is far too secretive for her own good-- she hasn't seen fit to alert SIS or the Senate of their treason, and so every time we use them she has to work harder to cover up yet another incident. If she had been more open the defectors would have a much harder time moving through Republic ranks. Imagine Havoc brazenly approaching a Jedi several months after they defected!"

"Yes that's General Garza, alright. Always so territorial. See that that doesn't happen to you, eh?"

"Noted," Keeper replied sardonically. “But all that matters is that they work for the Empire. And for the time being, they answer to Intelligence, specifically. Havoc will take over your recon work here. The op may not be fully ours, anymore, but it will be done and done on time. Now head back to Headquarters, we’ve a terrorist army to deal with.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have been having trouble being creative lately. Been in a slump. So when a window opened, when I felt the ability for the first time in a while, I jumped straight in. But on the downside, I have written this chapter in a bit of a rush, so forgive me for being even less polished than usual


	6. The Audience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meeting with a defector is arranged at the abandoned Peragus Asteroid Mining Facility

"Well Done, my boy!" Var Suthra congratulated Arro on their return to the Shield. "Not only did you prevent Doctor Godera from falling into the hands of Watcher One, you were able to take the spy prisoner! That's one very powerful piece taken off the board that brings a sigh of relief to us all."

"Has Havoc been able to find what they needed from him?" Arro questioned.

"I don't know. Even under ordinary circumstances, General Garza keeps a tight lid on details about SpecOps, and the capture of Watcher One is something far above ordinary. But with Havoc Squad, and especially men like Harron Tavus around, you know you can rest easy that they'll get the job done."

Arro's eyebrows rose. "It seems Watcher One must have been even more dangerous than I thought he was!"

"All Watchers have a lot of data at their fingertips- and they're bred, trained and sometimes even genetically modified to be able to process it quickly, to make connections. Watcher One was unusual in that he was a field agent. He was sent out into the field for the most critical jobs where detective work was as important as stealth. Gathering massive amounts of data, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and then summarizing it all for follow-up operations. Tactical analysis. Oh, he's been high on our most-wanted list for decades."

Arro shuddered. "Well, I'm surprised I survived the encounter, then. I went in knowing almost nothing about him."

"Not to worry, Jedi! I, for one, am starting to have the utmost confidence in your abilities! But moving on... a major tactical advantage has just opened up. One of the Angral's top Advisers, Admiral Hacklin, asked us for asylum. He wants to defect."

"Uh... guys?" Kira broke in. "Hacklin was with Angral when our paths crossed on Ord Mantell. They seemed chummy. I'm not buying this, it's too convenient."

"I'm sorry, Padawan, but we're hearing reports that Hacklin's earned a death-mark. And is on the run. We can't take chances, with a potential defector this highly ranked. Kira obviously made an impression on him, says he'll only surrender to you."

Kira unsurprisingly looked highly dubious "I've a bad feeling about this."

"No time to negotiate here. We've directed Hacklin to an abandoned Asteroid mining facility. He's expecting you two only, and no one else. Sending you the coordinates. Good luck!" The General disconnected.

Arro looked at the other Jedi, technically his Padawan despite being his elder by a few years. "Kira-"

"It's alright Master. If this really is on the up-and-up, then we've little time to think. I'll set a course for-" she glanced at the telemetry "- the Peragus Asteroid mining facility. Luckily, it's a short trip- two hours."

Arro nodded. "Force be with us."

 

*

 

**Peragus**

 

Kira led the way down the exit ramp, since it was her whom the Admiral intended to surrender to. Following her down, Arro looked around in wary curiousity.   
On a whim, he had read up on the history of this mining facility. It turned out, Peragus used to provide cheap fuel to this corner of the galaxy. In the aftermath of the so-called Jedi Civil war, where first Darth Revan and later his apprentice Darth Malak had waged a brutal war of conquest on the Republic, devastating worlds that had not yet fully recovered from a previous war against Mandalorians.

Peragus became important as a source of fuel to Telos- a bombed out world that became the flagship effort for post-war restoration. A Jedi known only as the Exile had been brought unconscious to this facility, a Sith hot on her trail. The chase had been the start of a desperate shadow war against a Sith Triumvirate that had all but wiped out the Jedi in the galaxy.

It was during the Exile's escape from Peragus that the Sith had accidentally opened fire on the asteroids, causing the volatile fuel to explode. While the main facility itself survived the explosion, most of the fuel was burned out, and all the miners had been killed by an assassination droid, leading to its abandonment.  
The last time anyone had set foot here, this place had been a massacre.

It was here that Admrial Hacklin had been directed.

The air was stale, the hangar dark. The facility still had some power; the particle field that kept them from being vented out into space was proof of that. But there were no lights on, so Kira activated several illumination probes that spread out around them.

"The Admiral's ship is in the next docking bay," Arro said, nodding down the corridor. "And there's only one lifeform, so at least we know it's not a small army waiting for us."

Kira frowned, not reassured. "A small army isn't what concerns me, you know. Or even a big one."

Arro examined the fractures around him but could learn nothing. There was a fairly big Shatterpoint approaching, but he could not tell if it was because of a high ranking turncoat, or a trap.

They made their way into the next docking bay.

Arro could feel the tension mount as some of the probes preceded them into the bay. They stepped forward cautiously, and a lone hooded being stepped out of the Landing ramp of the ship ahead of them.

Throwing off his hood, he emerged into the dim illumination, and both Jedi instantly knew that this wasn't the Admiral. The man they faced was a young human, no older than twenty five standard years. And as he threw off his hood, he also unmasked his mark on the Force. His strength was substantial.

"Greetings. I appreciate the quick response. I am Valis."

Arro didn't know him, but Kira obviously did. Panicking, she drew her Saberstaff. "Watch out, he's a Sith!"

"Now, now, sister! Is that any way to treat family?"

"Family?" Arro wasn't aware that he had spoken.

The Sith called Valis smirked. "Your Padawan is not who you think she is. She's a child of the Emperor, just like me. She was born among us, raised among us. Shaped to lie and deceive and kill since she was old enough to walk. And our Father wishes her return to His warm embrace."

  
"I don't care what that monster wants!" Kira said, shaking. "Master-- Arro-- you have to believe me, I haven't deceived you! Yes, I was born among these monsters, that's where I come from. But I ran away the first chance I got, and never looked back. Master Kiwiiks found me on Nar Shaddaa, and offered me a place in the Jedi Order, and that's how I'm here. But I swear, I promise I am a Jedi, even if I'm not a very good one! I'm no Sith! I haven't..." she broke off, trembling violently, tears beginning to form around her face. Her eyes were wide- with fear and terror- and she looked like she was about to be sick.

Arro ached to rush to her side and place an arm around her shoulder, but he dared not turn his back on this man.

"It's alright, Kira. I believe you. No matter where you come from, you're one of us now- and one of my closest friends. I won't-"

But Valis laughing interrupted him. "Oh don't be so naive, boy. She was taught to deceive; she could give a most convincing performance if she chose to, though I admit, that isn't the case here. But the fact of the matter is, she can't choose now. She can't choose anymore. For our Father has found her, at long last. And he has come himself to reclaim her."

That chilled his blood.

"Come himse-?" Arro trailed off as The Force started to shift and swirl. A Darkness descended upon them- a veritable tempest of deep deep dark; where storms raged and volcanoes exploded- yet they were muted by the uncaring, smothering abyss that they writhed in. An abyss that went on, and on, and on seemingly forever... an abyss that threatened to swallow anything whole that happened to stare into it too long.

He had never sensed anything like this. It terrified him, sapped away all of the strength from his muscles. His knees gave out and he collapsed in a huddle.

He hugged himself, fighting to stave off the subarctic chill in the Force.

Kira, in contrast, went from the edge of panic to an impenetrable poise.

She straightened up, inhaled deeply. Her eyes opened, and as they lay upon Valis, he went down on one knee, bowing before her.

"Father," Valis greeted her. Or rather, Him.

The Emperor had possessed Kira Carsen. He had indeed come for her personally.

 

*

 

When Kira spoke, it was another's voice that emerged from her lips. A voice that sounded like it contained a multitude- a legion. A legion of beings fed on the Darkest reaches of the Force."Well done, my child."

As Valis bowed lower, the Emperor flexed and stretched Kira's limbs. Reached out to take in their surroundings.

Then His unforgiving gaze focused on Arro, who reeled from some unquantifiable impact. And finally, His mind engulfed the Jedi's entire consiousness.

Suddenly there was nothing but the Void.

It stretched out lifelessly in all directions, with no escape for the hapless young Mirialan. He was trapped.

 

And then His voice spoke from the heart of the Darkness.

"Jedi. You are the one who foiled Angral's son. His every last ounce of energy is devoted to hating you, and yet, what I see is something so... tiny. Weak. Insignificant. You are what the Council has deemed sufficient to stop Angral? Too perfunctory to be called an insult. And yet..." Unseen eyes regarded Arro out from the darkness. "... Angral himself is satisfied to have you as his nemesis for this. But he does not see you as a threat. No, it isn't your confrontation that he looks forward to. It's the suffering he has in store that excites him."

Arro looked around fruitlessly, trying to find his accuser in the dark. Or an exit. Or even his bearings.

"Release me," he whispered. "Please." He didn't even attempt to feign confidence. "Please!" He begged again. The sheer presence of the Dark Side unnerved him, crushed his very soul. Despair overwhelmed him, ferreting out the last redoubts of safety within his mind.

The Voice laughed mercilessly at his terror. "That's it, Jedi! Give in to the despair, for this is your future. Insignificant though you are, I enjoy watching you squirm. I will order Darth Angral not to allow you to die, or to lose your sanity. For once he is done with you, I will have him bring you before me. You will spend an eternity here... with Me... With Us..."

"NOOOOOO!" Arro shrieked, face contorting in horror. "Please, I'm begging you, let me go! I'll do anything!"

He struggled fruitlessly, punching at the air, striking wildly with his lightsaber, lashing out with the Force, until the effort left him exhausted. He felt defeated, collapsing on the floor panting.

"Please..."

He racked his brain, searching for any way to get free. Any way at all.

A name slipped out to the front of his consciousness, a name that had already begun to fade away... "Kira."

Louder. "KIRA!"

His voice rose to a desperate screech. "KIIIRAAAAA!!!"

The Darkness seemed to falter, and Arro, in wonder, felt a small measure of resolve return to him.

His voice changed, grew stronger. But only a little.

"Kira... please, help me. They say that I'm supposed to be your Master, but... I'm so scared. I'm so weak... And I need you. Please."

The Dark gave way as a small cloud of light filtered through.

"Master? Is that you? The Emperor... he's in my mind! I can feel him! How?"

"He's here, and so am I." Arro responded, voice choking. Taking in a deep breath, he raised his head, and addressed his fellow Jedi.

"Kira, you may think that you are the apprentice. But that's not true. You don't need me. You never have! But I need you. You are strong and wise, and the Council knew that I would need you. And I need you now, again. I have always thought you were stronger. And not just because you were a bit older than me... And now it's confirmed! You were once in this same cage, and you fought it. Escaped. Broke free. Is that not strong? You broke the Emperor's hold on you once. Now you can do it again. Shake him off, Kira! Be free!"

"Master... I'm coming! I'm coming!" Kira's words had a strength that tore through the dark, spider-webbing it in cracks; cracks through which light shone. Cracks that exposed this void as a veneer. A sham.

And suddenly, Arro felt his reserves surge. He looked up again, this time not to see the Darkness, but the Shatterpoints. With the void weakening, he was able to follow the Shatterpoints straight to its source. The thing that called itself the Emperor.

A small, nebulous black cloud, with long, thin tendrils frantically reaching out to reassert itself.

"So there You are, Emperor. Nice to see You, finally. That was a wonderful show You put up. You showed me Your power- but also Your limit. You are not a void, not a legion. You are just one being! And You are as afraid as I was. Of the Dark. That is why You hide in it, try to pretend mastery over it. But You are not the Darkness.

You are far stronger than I will ever be, I acknowledge that. But I don't see You as invincible anymore. This has been enlightening."

The cloud fumed and boiled, and Arro sensed its uncontrollable rage even as it shrank farther. Kira was forcing him back!

"I see that I was wrong about you! I now see in you possibilities... Possibilities that I refuse to allow!"

The void around them shattered.

 

"Valis!" The Emperor screeched through Kira's mouth as he faded. "Kill him! Kill them both! I command it!"  
And then he was gone.

 

Contrary to what Arro expected, Valis's blade didn't immediately fall on him. Nor did it look like it would come for another few moments.

Valis had also collapsed where he had stood. He seemed every bit as shaky as Arro had felt in the Emperor's grip.

Kira was unconscious. Expelling the Emperor had taken its toll. But Arro could sense that she would be alright.

In fact, instinct told him she would be better than alright.

Though he could see no obvious change in her signature within the Force, he knew that she had broken her Father's hold on her. Forever. And Irrevocably.

The thought delighted Arro.

As he looked upon her, a grin of unadulterated joy split his face, and he uttered a loud, jubilant cheer.

"She's free!"

"Indeed she is..." Valis said. Despite his Father's orders, he seemed too scared to strike. "What is she? How could she shake free of our Father's grip?"

"She could, because she is strong. Because she is a Jedi. Because she's Kira. And because your father is clearly not omnipotent. Don't make the mistake that I did, in thinking that his mask is his true self."

Valis gulped. Began breathing heavily, head seemingly lost in the words. Then his demeanor changed as he looked around wildly. "Father orders your death! He wants you dead!"

His lightsaber jumped into his hands, and a red blade sprang up.

"Die! Die! Die!"

But by now, Arro was ready for him.

His blue blade met the red in a flurry of plasma, as Valis attempted a furious but unfocused attempt to kill him.

Arro blocked and parried each wild swing as Valis charged, then ducked aside, allowing the Sith's momentum carried him past. Before Valis could turn to face him, Arro struck. In a single swift motion, Arro stabbed the Sith's heart from behind, then extinguished his blade before his opponent had even dropped. As life faded from his eyes, the Sith seemed stunned at his swift defeat.

Arro didn't spare him another thought; he ran to Kira's side. She had saved his life in a heroic display of will, and Arro thought that he would never repay the debt he owed her. Close examination confirmed what he had sensed earlier; there was no lasting harm done to her, physically. However, there would be no telling how the struggle had affected her mentally. Gently lifting her limp body off the floor, Arro vowed to be there for her, to support her however she needed.

 

*

 

Kira awoke to find herself in the Shield's medbay. It didn't take long for her memories of the disastrous encounter to flood her memories and she sat bolt upright and screamed

"No! Never again!" She braced herself to fight off the Emperor's domination again, only to find that it wasn't there. She was her old self again.

Or was she? something felt different... Better... 

It took her a second to puzzle out what felt different.

"He's gone... The Emperor's gone!"

"He totally is! The way you fought free of him, Kira... I've never seen anything like it! Even a master couldn't have done better! You should be proud."

Belatedly, Kira realized that she wasn't alone. Her Master sat on a chair nearby, beaming at her with a fierce pride and joy that further lifted her spirits.

"Master..."

"You fought him off, Kira," he repeated, still beaming fiercely. "And I think you decisively broke his hold on you."

Kira felt her eyes widen and mouth drop almost comically."He's gone? Forever?"

"Yes, he is."

Tears flowed down her cheeks as she fought to contain her elation. She was free. She was at once shaking hard, sobbing uncontrollably, laughing maniacally.

"I'm free. I'm free!"

She reveled in the sensation, savoring the sweet taste.

After what seemed like an eternity, she regained enough control to remember the rest of what had happened. Valis, and his abrupt reveal of her origin.

She raised her head up again suddenly, and looked at her Master again, acutely aware that she would have to talk about it, to tell him. There was no hint of animosity or suspicion in his eyes, his delight at her victory sincere and absolute on his face.

"I have some explaining to do, don't I? And there is an explanation, I swear there is."

"It's okay Kira," Arro replied soothingly. "We can wait until you've recovered. I trust you. Never once doubted you. And you have been through quite an ordeal. We can leave the explanation for later."

"No, I have to, and I have do it now!" She exclaimed with such force that Arro looked startled by her vehemence.

His expression softened, and he leaned forward, taking her hands in his. He nodded. "Go ahead. And take your time."

"Well..." Kira began uncertainly. ""Child of the Emperor" is just a title. My parents were Sith, but not the Emperor himself. I was one of dozens, maybe hundreds, who were taken from our parents at birth. We were raised in the Sith Academy from infancy. Like Valis said, we were taught to lie, deceive, hurt and kill almost as soon as we could. It was brutal."

"Valis said you were trained as infiltrators... were you supposed to be His agents-- his secret police-- throughout the Empire? Throughout the Galaxy, even?"

"Well, more or less. There are who-knows-how-many of us out there. But that's not the least of it. You saw how He possessed me right? That was because He... did something to us. Hollowed us out, leaving a space within us that he could reach out and occupy at will. His slaves, his pawns, in whatever his grand scheme is."

Arro's expression went far away, as though he was remembering something. "Hundreds of you, in places across the galaxy? Sounds like he wanted agents everywhere. To personally control galactic events. Maybe to stoke war, death, destruction. Chaos."

Kira thought for a moment and then sighed. "Well, I guess so. Yeah. I shoulda come clean sooner, right? Allowed Master Kiwiiks and the others in on the secret, given them a little more time to prepare for the Children."

Arro's attention refocused on her. "Don't despair; you did the best you could under unimaginable circumstances."

Kira thanked him silently for his easy acceptance. Arro frowned, apparently in concentration. "So you were raised in the Academy. This hollowing... what was it like? And how did you escape?"

Kira inhaled deeply. "Every so often, some of us would be taken to meet him. Only, they would never remember meeting him. They seemed different when they returned. Less "there". One day I realized I couldn't remember anything from the past week. I was scared, and I decided to run. I had a head for memorizing delivery schedules, and I was small and scrawny so I could easily stow away aboard a supply ship leaving the Empire. Lived in some pretty bad places until Master Kiwiiks found me."

A silence grew as he absorbed her words.

She spoke again. "I knew I'd have to come clean eventually, but I was hoping to have proved myself a Jedi by then. And now the Emperor knows where I am. I guess Angral recognized me that time he saw me."

"Whatever happens, Kira, I want you to know that I'm here for you. Not only because you are, at least in theory, my Padawan. And certainly not because of the massive debt I owe you for saving me from the Emperor. But because you're my friend, and I care deeply about you."

His words eased a great burden from her shoulders. Relief shot through her, knowing that she had at least one ally no matter what came. She idly wondered why she hadn't blushed when he had said he cared deeply for her. Perhaps it was because she hadn't heard anything deeper, more romantic, in his words. Arro was offering her his undying friendship, not declaring his love. The thought increased her sense of relief.

"Thank you so much Master... Your support means so much to me!"

Arro stood. "Come on. We have to tell the General that there's no Admiral coming. See what he has next for us."

Kira also stood gingerly. "Wait. Before we head out on our next exciting adventure, I will tell my story to the Jedi Council. They need to know."

 

*

 

Var Suthra had shown great concern at having sent Arro and Kira into a trap. He had insisted on them taking some time off, to recover from any effects of the skirmish, which had suited them just fine. Arro had let the General know that some new information had come to light, and that he would be setting course to Tython to speak to the Council. Var Suthra had turned down the invitation to the session, saying that he would rather wait to hear the summary later, than sit through the debate that was to come. There was still much to do, after all.

Next, Arro had called Tython and requested a special meeting of the Council.

They arrived at Tython a few days later, their travel time greatly increased because traversing the Deep Core was a complicated journey to plot.

Master Satele was waiting in the Landing Pad, and she seemed to expect a bombshell; for her tension bleeding through her Jedi calm. She was pacing as the two Jedi and TeeSeven emerged, expression drawn. She offered a terse greeting rather than her usual cheerful welcome. She led them to the Council chamber, where the others had yet to arrive- they had the room to themselves.

"Uh so! er- Master Satele!" Kira smiled brightly. She struggled visibly with herself, then let it all out in a rush. "I was born on Dromund Kaas, my parents were both Sith!" She giggled nervously. "There, that was so much easier the second time!"

Master Satele groaned, rubbing her face exhaustedly. "This really is going to be a bombshell, isn't it? Most of the other Masters are all off-world, but standing by so that this session can begin on short notice."

 

*

 

The Masters heard what Kira had to say, but patience seemed difficult today. Master Kaedan, in particular, interjected loudly more than once.

When she was done talking, silence reigned briefly.

The first to speak was Jedi Master Syo Bakarn. Crossing his legs, he rubbed his chin in deep thought as he spoke up. "This is troubling. We have heard rumors of these "Children of the Emperor" before, but you finally confirm their existence."

The Kel Dor Jedi Master, attending via holo, spoke next, voice rendered expressionless by his mask. "Troubling that we never sensed the truth before, when Master Kiwiiks brought her to us."

Master Kaedan finally exploded. "Troubling? Are you serious!? A possible sleeper agent was in our midst and we didn't sense it, and all you can call it is "troubling"!? Worse, it seems that the Emperor could have reached out at any time and taken control of her; does no one understand the implications of what that means! She's especially dangerous, and cannot be allowed to roam free!" The look in his eye suggested that he was ready to leap forward, Lightsaber first.

Arro looked ready to throw in some choice words of his own in response, but he held it in. Even TeeSeven looked ready to say something.

"As her current Master, Arro should have a say in this." Master Satele said gently. "What do you recommend?"

As Kira watched nervously, Arro took a few deep breaths, subduing his indignation.

"As I have already told you. The Emperor tried to take possession of Kira, and she was able to fight him off. She broke his hold over her for good-" "So YOU say," Master Kaedan interjected, and Arro seemed again to want to retort in kind.

Instead, he inhaled deeply again, and continued. "She has broken his hold over him, and at the least, she has proven her commitment to the Jedi. In fact, she has proven herself ready for Knighthood. The feat she pulled off was superhuman, and if you never agree with me on anything else again, I WILL see that you acknowledge this, MASTER Kaedan."

He and Master Kaedan glared at each other.

The Kel Dor spoke again into the silence. "Setting that matter aside for now, I wish to hear about your confrontation with the Emperor, Arro. For you are the first I know to have done so as an enemy, and emerged unscathed. I want to hear every detail."

Shuddering, Arro recounted his brush with the Emperor.

Kira listened along with everyone else, awed by what she was hearing. She had had no idea about what her friend had faced- it seemed so much different from her own experience. Where she had been effectively knocked unconscious, Arro had faced the full might of the Emperor's oppressive presence without any prior warning.  
How alone he must have felt, faced with that terrible void! How tiny!

Even Master Kaedan seemed cowed.

"...But when Kira and I found each other in that void-- when it started to break-- I realized that the vast majority of that cloud was an illusion." Arro recounted. "He certainly is much more powerful than any of us could have imagined, but he isn't immune to fear. Of death, or of an enemy. He has certainly dabbled in arts Darker than anything we have seen, but his greatest weapon is in pretending to be the endless storm. I believe that so long as a Jedi can hold on to a shred of hope-- and not give in to despair- they may survive what I encountered."

"Survive," the Kel Dor pressed, expression hidden behind his mask. "But not win?"

"Safe to say, someone that powerful will have other tricks up his sleeve. And even without his facade, I thought he was absurdly strong."

"But this still makes him infinitely less invincible than we had feared yesterday," the alien insisted, and Arro inclined his head.

"I suggest that Knight Arro record this in depth, for our archives. This is a key event that will need to be remembered."

"I've already started preparing for it," Arro bowed. "Gathering down my thoughts and memories in a coherent fashion, and the like."

"But back to the matter of Padawan Kira," Satele said.

"Again, I think she is ready to be a full Jedi Knight." Arro said.

"So you've said," Master Kaedan grumbled. "We cannot ignore the threat she represents to our entire Order! It's inconceivable that we allow her to remain a Padawan, let alone Knight her!"

"Is it?" The Kel Dor master spoke up. "We first heard of the Children from a Sith turned to the Light."

"Master Braga speaks the truth," Syo Bakarn said in his gentle tones.

"She should have told us the truth sooner!" Kaedan said.

"Perhaps she feared your exact reaction," Satele pointed out.

"And with Knight Arro's staunch attestation of her loyalty, I need no further proof that she belongs here," Master Braga said.

"Agreed. I think that the best course of action is to leave her where she is." Master Satele turned to Arro. "We acknowledge what you said about Kira's readiness, but I would like for Master Kiwiiks to be here on that occasion, as Kira is her Padawan."

"Thank you, Masters!" Kira said enthusiastically. She was going to remain a Jedi! "I promise, I won't let you down." She avoided looking at Master Kaedan.

TeeSeven beeped encouragement as he rolled next to her.

"Very well then. You've both suffered through quite an ordeal. Choose your rooms, take some time. Recover. Healers will be available should any complications arise."

Kira fought the urge to dance an impromptu jig on her way out. Master Kaedan's suspicions notwithstanding, the ease with which the Council had accepted her continued presence after hearing about her past had greatly boosted her spirits.

This is what it felt like, she thought. To have friends, family, who are there for you even through the worst of it. And Arro's insistent support for her had also touched her deeply. Never had she felt so at home as she did now.


	7. Progress Review

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As tragedy strikes, Master Satele takes a moment to review the race to secure all of the Top Secret Weapons Projects

**Tython**

Master Satele sat alone in her room. Despite her best efforts, dread crept through her veins like Ice Water.

A few hours prior, Darth Angral had broadcast a recording throughout the Republic. He had captured Master Orgus, who had attempted to sneak aboard his Ship and confront him. Then the vicious Sith had stabbed the Jedi Master through his heart.

This had been done as a goad aimed at one specific Jedi; the young Knight Arro. But Angral hadn't been averse to letting the whole Republic watch this. The message was clear. No mercy. Not for his enemy, and not for the innocents in the Republic. Darth Angral was coming.

Across the galaxy, she imagined that there many, like her, sat wondering how this had gotten so bad, so fast. Where it started to go wrong. Master Orgus had been with an important fixture of the Jedi Order. Strong, experienced, wise and compassionate. And he had been a good friend to so many. His loss was a terrible blow.

Where had it started to spiral out of control like this? Could anyone have done anything differently? Could she have?

Satele sobbed quietly for a long time, before picking up a holotablet and calling forth the summary on the desperate race to secure the top secret projects designed by Republic R&D.

 

_____________  
Nar Shaddaa: Project "Power Guard"

Artificial Enhancement of ordinary soldiers using drugs, cybernetics and genetic modification.

Purpose: To make up for dwindling numbers of Jedi needed to combat Sith.

Action Summary: Our operatives were unable to secure the facility before Lord Sadic and his men overran the compound. Agent Galen, sent to oversee the securing of the project, was MIA. Jedi Knight Arro Silver and Kira Carsen were sent to save the research. They were able to delete the bulk of the data before it fell into enemy hands, but Lord Sadic was able to get his hands on all the test subjects of the Power Guard project and wipe their minds, making them slaves. A force of fifty Power Guard Mark IVs were confirmed shipped off to Darth Angral. He had also secured enough technology to upgrade himself, and, in an act of sheer cruelty, had put captured Agent Galen through the process.

Lord Sadic was killed by Knight Arro, and Agent Galen chose to die rather than live on as a machine.

_____________

Taris: Project "Siantyde"

High powered arms technology.

Secured without incident, despite the presence of Watcher One. Enemy doesn't seem to have gotten wind of this operation.

_____________  
Tattooine: Project "Shock-drum"  
Hyper-sonic weapon designed to reduce enemy fortifications to rubble. However, testing revealed that the Shock-drum was capable of causing quakes strong enough to destroy any inhabited world. Further testing banned.

Action Summary: Master Bela Kiwiiks successfully secured all research data relevant to the project. However, Lord Praven was able to lay hands on the working prototype. Although he was ordered to set the weapon to destroy the desert world, and Master Kiwiiks with it, he had a change in heart, deeming it dishonorable. He provided Jedi Arro Silver and Kira Carsen the codes to shut down the Shock-drum. Furthermore, on Knight Arro's encouragement, he surrendered to General Var Suthra's forces and asked to join the Jedi Order.

The Shock-drum was secured, deactivated and destroyed.

Master Kiwiiks is alive but greatly affected by her proximity to the Shock-drum.

_______________

Alderaan: Project "Death Mark"

Assassination satellite, designed to mark a target, then eliminate with a pinpoint strike from orbit.

Master Orgus was able to secure the lab, but called on his former student Arro Silver to secure the weapon itself, and to kill or capture Lord Neffarid.  
_____________________

 

The list of projects went on, but they had all been successfully secured without incident. Looking at the summary, it drove home how much they had been forced to rely on their newest Knight to douse the fires. That he had risen to the challenge was something to be grateful for, but he should never have been in that situation in the first place. Not only was he too young to be shouldering such burdens, he had also been dispatched *after* everything had gone wrong. He had averted catastrophes with moments to spare, and the enemy had managed to seized considerable assets and some data, though not all.

This past year had been a mad dash to reclaim these projects, and they had barely kept pace. Because they hadn't been able to allocate enough people for the job. If Satele had gone to personally oversee some of these missions, had dispatched more Jedi, more Masters, to each project, things might never have gotten so bad.  
Instead, she had been forced to spread the Jedi thin across the galaxy.

And to rely on just one Jedi.

She had spoken to Arro and Kira several times this past year, even not counting the memorable time where he and his Padawan revealed what had come of the Peragus trap.  
Each time, both the young Jedi had looked profoundly exhausted. Like they were running on fumes. In a year, they seemed to have aged twenty.

And now with Master Orgus having been executed, and the execution broadcast, both Jedi had undoubtedly been hit particularly hard, having been the last to see Master Orgus alive.

Wiping away her tears, she put away the tablet then lay down on her bed. She allowed the soothing music of the Coruscant Classical Orchestra to lull her into sleep.  
It had been another long day, in another long year. She would have to begin picking up the pieces tomorrow.

But today, she allowed herself to be just Satele once more.

*

 

**Location Unknown**

Aboard his Flagship the _Justice Crusader_ , Harron Tavus sat back numb from shock. He watched the recording for what had to be the thirtieth time.

He had known Master Orgus. Bled with him. Dined with him. Called him brother.

They had been on Coruscant together when the Sith came.

He remembered the Jedi Master and his unassailable calm. And now they were on opposing sides, and Tavus had just watched him being executed. The scene was burned into his mind, but still something in his core refused to accept that this had come to pass.

He briefly turned his attention to the datapad containing the final hours of his other squadmates.

Wraith. Gearbox. Fuse. Needles. And he himself; Commander Tavus.

Once, they had been Havoc Squad, the Republic's finest. First in, Last out. They had sunk their teeth into the hardest missions. Then they were betrayed by the Republic and left to die on Ando Prime. Despite all odds, they had survived.

Angry at their abandonment, disillusioned with a defeatist government that could no longer afford to have heroes, they had defected. But now they were all gone. All but him.

Taken down single-handedly by their newest member, _Meteor_. The promising young soldier Robyn Targe who had excelled in missions had been assigned to their squad on Ord Mantell, days before their plan to defect came to pass. All the members of Havoc had been mightily impressed. First by the recruit's service records, then by her performance on Ord Mantell. She had single-handedly shot her way in and out of guarded Separatist outposts with ease. Broke their strength at both their major strongholds like it was nothing.

But even they had underestimated their new recruit. Meteor had exposed their treachery, deactivated the expensive Nuclear Warhead that Havoc gifted the Empire, then survived a firefight against a small army of Imperial regulars.

Then she had been assigned Leader of the new Havoc and tasked with hunting him down. The Zabrak woman had been a typhoon. Unrelenting, implacable. Not only had she single-handedly eliminated all his squadmates and ruined their projects across multiple worlds, she had also engaged and killed the former Havoc's nemesis. The Imperial Squad Shadow Fist, whom even he and his own team couldn't decisively defeat.

She would come for him soon, he knew. He intended to stand and face her. Make her pay for his comrades' deaths.

But then this news had come in. And for the first time, Tavus felt he realized exactly what his defection had meant; just whom he had declared as his enemies by his defection.  
Unbidden, his mind remembered all the dead Jedi at the Temple, especially their younglings. All of the dead civilians in the siege that followed.

The brutality of the Sith, those rabid dogs who were the ruling class of the Empire.

During one of his many rewatches, he had noticed a Jedi on Holo, who Angral had reached put to, presumably so that he could witness the ruthless execution.

The one he'd met on Taris.

The teenager who was already a Knight. He had looked too young for his burden on the bombed out world, and now he looked younger still.

The boy's mouth had dropped in horror, he had collapsed as his knees went weak, and he looked like he'd be screaming, but that he was choking.

Just a boy. What were the Council thinking? What was Satele thinking?

He contemplated about the men he had once served. And the monsters he had once fought. How had he thought it was a good idea to switch sides, to trade one for the other?  
How had it come to this?

Running a hand through his weary face, he settled back to watch the recording again.


	8. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darth Angral, vicious beast that he is, is finally ready to put his plans in motion. His goal: Wanton Slaughter.

**The Uphrades system** .

Following Master Orgus's death, Kira thought that Arro's morale had collapsed. The two men had not been together long, she knew, but Arro had respected him a great deal. And to see him cut down like that- to know later that his body had been jettisoned into Space…

Arro was devastated.

And there would be no rest for the boy yet. For soon afterwards, Var Suthra had called, saying that Orgus had managed to place a tracker on Angral's ship, the _Oppressor_.

That it had come out of Hyperspace above the Uphrades system, and that that was where Arro, Kira and TeeSeven were headed next.

"Can't you find someone else? We kinda need a little time here," was what Kira was about to say, except Arro had paled, crisply responded that he was already setting course for the Uphrades.

Within minutes, they were en route to the system. In desperation, Arro had tasked the Navicomputer with charting a course that led through the deep core so as to gain precious time.

TeeSeven had whistled apprehensively as they finally jumped out of Hyperspace an hour and a half later.

They had arrived in time to watch, in horror, as flames enveloped the planet from pole to pole. The entire planet had been set ablaze. Or more accurately, it's atmosphere had, according to the Aurum Steel Shield's telemetry. While the temperature was magnitudes cooler on the surface, the people would find themselves cooked alive in temperatures approaching 70 degrees.

 

Sensors picked up the _Oppressor_ as it watched the carnage below, then prepared to jump out of the system.

Arro ignored the ship, instead trying desperately to chart a safe course through the burning atmosphere and onto the planet.

He argued in vain with TeeSeven, who tried his best to remind Arro, gently, that whatever this weapon was, it had been modified from the Planet Prison designs and could thus trap them if they tried to help.

They had watched, helpless, as surface temperatures rose even further, scorching the surface and further reducing the chances of any survivors. They had desperately stood by to act the second the flames died down, but the sensors had reported when various measures like shields failed, and when they detected the death of the last of the life forms on the agroworld.

Arro had an expression of bottomless horror on his face, and for the second time that day he looked ready to collapse in despair. Kira hardly felt much different. 

After a time, she spoke up. "I visited this world with my Master once. It was so beautiful! The rivers, the forests, the mountains. And now its gone."

Arro remained silent for a long time, then spoke up in a hoarse whisper. "I know. Master Suul raised me, trained me, on this planet. This was my home for ten years. I had many friends on that world. Fellow Padawans, townsfolk, children, animals, droids. And I just sensed every last one of them die."

  
  


*

 

Var Suthra was apologetic when they finally hailed him on the holo. "I'm so sorry, my friends! To think that you would have to witness such an atrocity!"

Doctor Godera was next to him, analyzing the sensor readings they'd picked up. "According to what we've learned, Angral calls it  _ Desolator _ weapon. Rather than ionizing the outer atmosphere harmlessly and grounding ships like the Planet Prison, _Desolator_ would seem to be setting it on fire."

"We figured that out," Arro said testily. "When we watched it burn Uphrades."

"Believe me, I understand your anger, but there is no time right now, my friend." Var Suthra said urgently, gills quivering. "Now that he's tested it, odds are that Angral will be ready to unleash it again, and this time on a far more damaging world. I've sent out an alert recalling all ships to Coruscant-"

"Not Coruscant," Arro said. "More than anything else, Angral hates the Jedi. Coruscant will take forever to evacuate; he can attack it whenever he chooses. But Tython can be abandoned much sooner. He will want to strike at our heart and kill as many Jedi as he can. Maximize the damage. He's going to Tython."

"The location of Tython is a secret!" the General protested.

"So were all of your weapons projects," Arro responded. The General froze in horror. "I'm sorry to cut the line, but you're right. I can't waste any more time; we have to get moving." Arro said, a final desperate reserve bringing the fire back into his eyes. 

TeeSeven was already rushing to the cockpit to program the Navicomputer.

A voice called from offscreen. "Incoming distress call. It's from Tython."

Before the call was disconnected, Var Suthra weakly muttered "May the Force be with you."

 

*

 

Secrecy, not large defense fleets, had been Tython's biggest defense. There were squadrons of interceptors, along with ground-based Turbolaser Batteries. Neither was equipped to handle a Dreadnought like the _Oppressor_. And certainly not the _Desolator_ superweapon.

When they arrived in the Tython system another desperate shortcut jump later, the Defense Squadrons had engaged the _Oppressor_ 's complement of fighters and escort craft. They would take too long.

As they approached, they got a call from Doctor Godera, telling them that according to the sensor readings, the _Desolator_ would require a large charging period. "If you can overload the ship's reactors, failsafes will automatically cut off the weapon." And then their signals were jammed.

Teeseven offered to interface with the Hyperdrive and disable it, keeping Darth Angral from escaping.

"Alright then," Arro stood. "Kira, guard TeeSeven as he does what he has to, then meet me at the bridge. So my tasks in a nutshell; overload the reactors, and then confront Angral. May the Force be with us."

 

*

 

When the Shield entered the hangar bay, Kira aimed the Dorsal turret at the troops and artillery moving to cover their ship. A few blasts were enough to clear the docking bay, and then TeeSeven launched a single Missile at the control station, destroying it and forcing the door open.

Kira, Teeseven and Arro quickly emerged from the ship and scattered for their tasks. There would be no time to breathe until the Desolator was stopped. Everything depended on them. Everything.

 

*

 

Dozens of troops had set up barricades and turrets to slow Arro's advance. Waves of blaster fire rained on top of him as he dashed through the corridors of the massive Dreadnought. Urgency fought to overwhelm his calm because, as he kept reminding himself, he hadn't the time for this!

The Planet Prison had needed hours to charge up completely, but while the _Desolator_ might need, in theory, more time to build up a sufficient charge, the _Oppressor_ 's reactors could generate a lot more power. According to TeeSeven's estimate, the _Desolator_ would be charged and ready in forty two minutes. That had been eighteen minutes ago. Arro had just over twenty minutes to locate and disable the reactors. 

It wouldn't be so hard if he wasn't getting shot at. And he was getting sloppy in his desperation. Several bolts had found a crack in his defense and scored hits on his robes. An acrid tang filled his nostrils as the fabric was scorched by the fire.

Arro remembered at the end of his training with WenSuul, she had told him that she had tried to break his patience, so that she could teach him how to cope if he ever lost his cool in the heat of battle. But she had failed, and she had warned him to be especially mindful of the Jedi serenity when things got desperate, for that was when one started to make mistakes. And as his training had progressed, she had tried very hard indeed.

She had feared that mistakes would kill him, and her inability to break through her student's cool had made her dread the day it happened the first time. For that was when he would be at his most vulnerable.

Arro hadn't fully understood what she had meant until this moment.

Recent events- the execution of Master Orgus, the devastation of the Uphrades, and now the urgency of his current mission- taunted him, creating holes in his concentration and in his defense that he was not accustomed to.

If this kept up, he would be shot down before he could save anyo-.

Right on cue, he missed a parry and a blaster bolt whizzed toward his eye, and he saved himself by ducking away at the last possible second. But he still felt some of the heat sting his cheeks, burning his eyebrows. A guard wielding a force pike took the opportunity to charge at him, roaring battle cries. Arro misjudged his timing  and was nearly impaled by the pike, and had to roll clumsily to avoid it.

He didn't have time for this.

He sought the calm once again, barely found it, then regained his feet.

Mouth contorting, he charged the pikeman with additional ferocity and in a single sweep, he cut the man in half lengthwise.

And then, just as he brought his guard up again, he sensed, for only the briefest moments, when the scrambling Imperial troops all seemed to fall along a single clear faultline- faster than thought, Arro clove through the line, his blade a cyclone of blue lightning. His dash carried him clean across the corridor and to the other side of the guards' defensive line.

As he turned to face them, he realized that his one strike had neatly decapitated all men lining the corridor.

For the first time, he had a moment to breathe, and he elected to do so, regathering himself so that his concentration wouldn't fail again. He could not afford to be careless again. His subsequent encounters would have to be different. He would have to be different.

Reaching out, he searched for all nearby Shatterpoints. Then he locked on to the strongest one, a few corridors to his right and heavily guarded.

When Arro reached this last line of defense, he was better prepared to handle his frustration.

However, the desperation still gnawed at him, still there, still determined to make itself known. And his stomach lurched when he saw that there were fifty Mk-IV Power Guards before him this time.

He had faced the earlier Mk-IIs and IIIs on Nar Shaddaa. The Mk-IVs had been the best to emerge from the project.

They had also been refugees, displaced by the lengthy war. They had all lost everything, and had therefore signed up with the Power Guard program in order to fight back against the Empire the next War. 

However, Lord Sadic had acquired them, and wiped their minds. He had enslaved them. Now, these former refugees were fanatical shock-troops of the Empire. In any other circumstances, Arro would have tried to take them all alive, as he had on Nar Shaddaa.

But he hadn’t that luxury now. Even the Mk-IIIs had been strong opponents. To face the more advanced Mk-IVs, especially with his limited time window, he would have to go all out.

Some soldiers charged to engage him hand-to-hand, while the others took up positions. Advanced Personal Shielding and heavy armor meant that the ones with blasters could shoot at their comrades without fear of friendly fire… even if they had been capable of that concern. Luckily, neither the Shields nor the Armor was very effective against Lightsabers.

Their reflexes, their targeting, their coordination- all had been enhanced greatly, and Arro was forced to unleash a whirlwind of indiscriminate azure death. He was never in one place for long, staying highly mobile to cope with these enhanced soldiers.

Like before, he looked for times when he could charge through several enemies at once, and took them. The first two tries weren't nearly as spectacular, but his fourth one took down a dozen Guards in one pass. Blade spinning, he deflected incoming fire and batted away vibroswords and electropikes.

And he struck down all of his enemies. It wasn’t long before the last of the soldiers lay dead.

He had been far less distracted by his inner turbulence this time. But it was still there.

He didn't have to worry about that for now. 

There it was- the reactor. And according to his timer, he still had twelve minutes.

Relieved, he set to work overloading the reactor. A sudden shudder and a host of status messages informed him that he had succeeded. The reactor was down and the _Desolator_ deactivated.

 

* 

 

Kira caught up with Arro much sooner than she had hoped; he was still emerging from the reactor control.

As she neared him, she stopped short, inhaled deeply in shock. Her Master's robes were singed in many places where blaster fire seemed to have made its way through his defense. That was unprecedented! Even while assaulting the Black Sun fortress on Coruscant, not a single bolt had come near him. And the Fortress had been packed tighter, with more men firing at him.

Here, with more room to maneuver and fewer troops filling the air with fire, Arro shouldn't have had trouble. Yet her eyes saw what they did.

Some bolts had even gotten close enough to his face that the skin looked slightly burned; those had missed by half a centimeter, if even that much. He winced as she placed a palm on the injury. "I got desperate. The timetable..."

She nodded. "It could happen to anyone Master."

“Master WenSuul warned me… She hadn’t been able to break through my patience during training. She was worried I would first break when failure was not an option. And she was right. When things piled up like they have, I just couldn’t take it!”

“But you survived. You got the job done. You know now, and we can learn to deal with this together after we save the day. But for now, Angral’s waiting.”

Arro nodded. “Ready when you are, Master.”

  
  


*

 

Kira watched in horror as Arro cut down Angral's Sith guards. She had seen him in action many times by now, and was quite used to his skill with a blade. But that was different. This... the destruction of Uphrades had awoken something cold and deadly in her Master. It wasn't rage, or hatred, or despair, or madness. It was something else entirely.

It was as though all of the dead had called out for justice… No. For  _ vengeance _ .

And her Master had become its embodiment. Dispassionate, merciless, mechanical and methodical.

To call it Dark Side was utterly wrong. There was no emotion in him. No passion. No chaos.

Just like the Jedi Code.

And she had seen more than her share of Sith, enough to know what the Dark Side was like. This was different.

 

And indeed, even Angral’s Sith Warriors seemed unsure on how to face him, to put it lightly.

Blue blade spinning gracefully, Arro was parrying red blades coming from all around him effortlessly. And even pressed on all sides as he was, he was not being pinned down. He was always moving-- always dancing-- avoiding getting boxed in by the Sith intent on killing him.

And even as he danced, he killed.

When he was done, dozens of Sith lay dead around him.

The remainder of Angral’s troops had dropped their weapons and lay face down. Many were weeping, shocked by the devastation a single man had caused. 

 

And now, Darth Angral stood alone. Shaking with rage, incoherent in his fury, he held his ignited lightsaber in his left hand. Pointing a shaking finger at Arro, he bellowed.

“You! How _DARE_ you??! All I have worked for, all I have sacrificed, you dare stop me now? Who the FUCK do you think you are? Insolent wretch! _Cur! Mongrel!_ ”

Still raving, he let loose a stream of Force Lightning that Arro blocked.

“It was my _destiny_ , do you hear me?! My Destiny to destroy the Jedi!”

He launched himself at Arro, raining down blow after blow from his red Lightsaber.

“Your every _BREATH IS AN INSULT, YOU GREEN ANIMAL_!”

Again and again he attacked her Master, finding no gap in his defense.

Eventually, Arro changed his stance and attacked. Just once. His blow took both of Angral’s arms off at the elbows. 

The Sith Lord screamed more in frustration than pain.

But Arro wasn’t done.

Extinguishing his lightsaber, he kicked the Sith Lord off his feet, and Called a fallen Blaster Rifle into his hands.

Holding it upside down, he smashed the rifle butt against Angral’s nose, breaking it. 

Arro raised the rifle again, and with all the emotion of a stone statue, proceeded to bash his fallen Nemesis with the Rifle butt. Blows landed on the mouth, shattering his teeth and leaving his face in ruin. Then, when Angral’s defiance had faded, he Picked him up with the Force. Staring at seemingly nothing, Arro gestured with his fingers. Something snapped in the Force.

Kira couldn’t see what he had done; nothing had changed in the physical world; Angral still breathed messily. And for the life of her she couldn’t identify what Arro had done with the Force.

And then, without warning, the vile Sith Lord began to wail in despair. All his rage and defiance seemed to have vanished, leaving him a broken shell of a creature. Fear seemed to catch up with him. To overtake him, leaving him a blubbering, weeping mess begging for mercy. It was horrifying.

And Kira had to admit, it was grotesquely justified, after all he had done. Darth Angral had been a man who dedicated his whole life to torturing anyone he could. But still. This was not the Jedi way.

 

Arro motioned the terrified crew off the bridge. “Go. Get to the escape pods. When I am done here, I will be destroying the ship.”

The crew ran, grateful to have avoided his wrath.

 

“Master…” Kira whispered. “What have you done?”


	9. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A journey ends, and a tired hero decides to rest. At least for a time.

**Tython, 7 ATC**

 

Theirs was a hero’s welcome.

Instead of docking at the Orbital Docking Station, they were cleared to land on the Platform usually reserved for Masters and dignitaries. As soon as they emerged from their ships, they were met with a cacophony of applause and fanfare. Most of these people had not expected to survive; there weren’t nearly enough ships to evacuate Tython in the event of emergency.

Their joy at being alive was infectious, and Kira was only too glad to indulge in it.

Hey, she was still just a Padawan, right? No need to worry about proper decorum and depressing demeanor yet. And they had just won a resounding victory.

The three of them- Arro, Kira and TeeSeven- were directly ushered into the Council Chambers, Temple Guards keeping jubilant revelers at a respectful distance.

The Council was more subtle in their pleasure, but Kira was glad to see them alive. General var Suthra was attending via holo.

Master Satele was the first to speak. “Welcome home,” she said, smiling wide. “The three of you have done extremely well! Your defeat of Darth Angral, your destruction of his Superweapon and his Operation was a resounding victory.”

“We were preparing for the worst,” Master Syo said. “We were discussing ways to keep our teachings and our texts intact through the coming catastrophe. Many of the staff and noncombatant and younger residents were in despair. Matriarch Amalys of the Kalikori demanded priority transportation off world for her people. The villagers were so angry…”

“And yet you triumphed,” Master Braga said. “You three, against an entire warship of Sith, soldiers and defenses. And you accomplished your mission, and made it back to us alive. Remarkable”

“I knew you could do it!” the General crowed. “I’ve come to expect nothing less than success in the face of overwhelming odds from you three.”

“If only Master Orgus were here to share in this victory,” Master Kiwiiks said with a sad smile. Weakened and injured, she was propped up in a hoverchair; according to the best doctors, the damage done to her by the Shock-Drum was severe and long-lasting. They didn’t know if or when she would recover.

Master Satele lowered her head, grief evident on her face. “We have lost our noblest Masters. The cost was dear. But he will always be with us. And his legacy endures, in this Jedi whom he trained.” She nodded at Arro. “And you, Kira. Now that Master Kiwiiks is amongst us again, it gives me great pleasure to officially recognize your achievement in overcoming the Emperor’s influence on Peragus. Your strength and commitment to our Code is greatly applauded by us all.”

“And she does mean it when she says  _ “us all” _ ,” Master Kaedan spoke up hesitantly. “I admit I was in grave error in questioning you, Kira. Your fortitude is truly impressive, and I am pleased to acknowledge it as well.”

“In light of this,” Master Kiwiiks picked up. “This Council has approved of anointing you, Kira Carsen, as a Jedi Knight of the Republic.”

“You really mean it?” Kira asked.

“You did just help save the Galaxy,” master Satele said, “So this is the least we could do.”

“If I had it my way,” Var Suthra spoke, “There would be more than that. Your robes would be covered in medals.”

“And you, my young friend,” Satele said, addressing Arro. “Where even to begin? I saw the potential in you the day you stepped in. The day before, even. You are a Jedi without peer. And you will be needed again in the days to come; Darth Angral has inspired many Sith into violence though the Treaty still nominally holds. But he has also forged our greatest weapon against the Dark Side. The fate of many rests on your shoulders, for you will decide the fate of the jedi, the republic, and the galaxy.”

Arro,who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. “No.”

The Masters all looked at him, stunned, and Kira remembered her earlier apprehension.

“I am a poor Jedi; I am simply a vehicle of death and vengeance. I have killed and killed. I could not show mercy to the Power Guards. And when I had Angral, I used the Force to destroy his rage and strength-his Shatterpoints. I have broken him. He is presently unconscious aboard the Shield. The death of my Masters, the destruction of my home, and the clock I raced against in order to stop the  _ Desolator _ . They have unbalanced me. I am not prepared to be a Jedi. Perhaps I never will”

He unclipped his Lightsaber and placed it on the floor. “I am sorry. But I don’t belong among you.”

So saying, he left the Chamber, and a stunned Council behind.

 

*

 

“So Uphrades was his home?” Master Kaedan asked. 

“Yes it was,” Satele said. “I remember it was mentioned in his profile, but I had forgotten it. Master WenSuul raised him there. She was also killed along with everyone else on the planet.”

“Anyone would break going through what he did,” Kiwiiks said, attempting to rise. “And at his age as well…”

“We clearly gave him far more than he could handle… But he can be healed, still,” Master Syo said. “We owe him that much, at least.”

“Agreed.” said Master Kaedan.

Master Satele retrieved Arro’s Lightsaber from where he’d left it. She studied it for a long time.

“This Lightsaber was one I gave him in his early days on Tython, given the turmoil we faced then. It was only a Training Saber, whose safeguards had been disabled. It was to be his until he forged his own Lightsaber.” She shook her head, and then turned to look at Kira. “Kira, I want you to remain here for now. Arro will return to us again when he is ready. And when he does he will need someone to help him heal. Do you think you can do it?”

“Of course, Master,” Kira vowed. “Despite how he put it, he did the best he could up there, except for that part where he broke Angral. The best anyone could have done. He is distraught now, but I think he will bounce back. Eventually.”

“Then you will try to stay in touch with him. Not as a Jedi, but as a friend. Bring him in when he’s ready. And when you do, tell him it’s high time he built his own lightsaber”

 

*

 

**Kalikori Village**

The village was beginning to settle down again. Now that the dangers had passed, some of the others were bragging about how they knew that the Jedi would prevail. Life was returning to normal pretty soon considering that everyone thought the world was coming to and end.

In a garden in a more secluded and private home of the village, a beautiful young Twi’lek sat on a bench,singing softly. She looked up when a figure approached her, largely unnoticed by the exuberant Twi’leks.

“Well well, look who’s back!” she said delightedly. “Arro! You’re home!”

“Ranna Tao’Ven,” Arro said, wrapping his arms around her. He was smiling wide, but it was… sad. Holding her in his arms, he breathed in deep, taking in her scent. And those of her surroundings. “It’s good to be back. And to be with you again.”

Silence fell over the garden for a time.

“I heard about Orgus,” Ranna said softly. “I am so sorry.”

“Thank you,” he said. “There is also Uphrades…”

“The planet that the Sith Lord destroyed.”

“Yeah. It was my home.”

“.... oh!”

They held each other for what seemed like hours.

“I see you took my advice.”

“You were right… I was still too young to be Matriarch. I thought I had a duty to my people, but they really are better served having a better leader in that role.”

Arro laughed. “I heard Matriarch Amalys led a riot to the Temple.”

“That one incident aside, she’s doing well.” Ranna looked up at him. “For now, I want to just… enjoy my youth. To be a young girl. To be Ranna.”

Arro gazed into her eyes intensely. “I think I need to take my own advice Ranna. I think I need to enjoy my youth too. To be a young boy. To be with Ranna. If she will have me.”

That took her breath away, and the smile on her face became magnitudes brighter.

“Yes! Yes and Yes!” She pulled herself up to his face and planted a deep kiss on his lips, savoring the feel of his lips on hers… her first kiss... “I am yours Arro. Forever, if that’s what you want.”

When they broke apart, Arro didn’t look like he could speak. Smiling wide, tears streaming down his face, he picked her up high above him and twirled her around for a bit until they both fell onto the grass, laughing and sobbing uncontrollably, a sound that, though soft and gentle, might someday be heard a long way off, in a galaxy far far away...


End file.
